John 10:1
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Jesus the Good Shepherd
10 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.
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Matthew 7:15
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A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.(A)
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Romans 16:18
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18 For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites,[a] and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.(A)
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- 16.18 Gk their own belly
John 10:8-10
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8 All who came before me[a] are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.(A)
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- 10.8 Other ancient authorities lack before me
1 John 4:1
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Testing the Spirits
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.(A)
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Hebrews 5:4
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4 And one does not presume to take this honor but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.(A)
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Jeremiah 23:32
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32 See, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, says the Lord, and who tell them and who lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or command them, so they do not profit this people at all, says the Lord.
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2 Peter 2:3
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3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.(A)
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2 Peter 2:1
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False Prophets and Their Punishment
2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.(A)
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1 Peter 1:10
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10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace intended for you made careful search and inquiry,(A)
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Ephesians 4:8-12
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8 Therefore it is said,
9 (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended[b] into the lower parts of the earth?[c] 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers(B) 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,(C)
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2 Corinthians 11:13-15
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13 For such boasters are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.(A) 14 And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Their end will match their deeds.(B)
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Romans 10:15
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15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”(A)
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Zechariah 11:16-17
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16 For I am now raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering,[a] or heal the maimed, or nourish the healthy,[b] but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.
17 Oh, my worthless shepherd,
who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and his right eye!
Let his arm be completely withered,
his right eye utterly blinded!”(A)
Ezekiel 34:2-5
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2 Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: To the shepherds—thus says the Lord God: Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?(A) 3 You eat the fat; you clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatted calves, but you do not feed the sheep.(B) 4 You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured; you have not brought back the strays; you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them.(C) 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and scattered they became food for all the wild animals.(D)
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Zechariah 11:4-5
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Two Kinds of Shepherds
4 “Thus says the Lord my God: Be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.(A) 5 Those who buy them kill them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them.(B)
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Jeremiah 23:16-17
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16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.(A) 17 They keep saying to those who despise the word of the Lord,[a] “It shall be well with you,” and to all who stubbornly follow their own stubborn hearts, they say, “No calamity shall come upon you.”(B)
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- 23.17 Gk Syr: Heb despise me, the Lord has spoken
Matthew 23:16-28
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16 “Woe to you, blind guides who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’(A) 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred?(B) 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ 19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?(C) 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it, 21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by the one who dwells in it, 22 and whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.(D)
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.(E) 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate,[a] so that the outside also may become clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of uncleanness. 28 So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
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- 23.26 Other ancient authorities lack and of the plate
Ezekiel 13:2-6
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2 Mortal, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying; say to those who prophesy out of their own imaginations: “Hear the word of the Lord!”(A) 3 Thus says the Lord God: Alas for the senseless prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!(B) 4 Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. 5 You have not gone up into the breaches or repaired a wall for the house of Israel, so that it might stand in battle on the day of the Lord.(C) 6 They have envisioned falsehood and lying divination; they say, “Says the Lord,” when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word!(D)
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Jeremiah 29:31-32
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31 Send to all the exiles, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and has led you to trust in a lie,(A) 32 therefore thus says the Lord: I am going to punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants; he shall not have anyone living among this people to see[a] the good that I am going to do to my people, says the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.(B)
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- 29.32 Gk: Heb and he shall not see
Jeremiah 28:15-17
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15 And the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you made this people trust in a lie.(A) 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: I am going to send you off the face of the earth. Within this year you will be dead, for you have spoken rebellion against the Lord.”(B)
17 In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.
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Jeremiah 14:15
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15 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name though I did not send them and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come on this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed.(A)
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Isaiah 56:10-12
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10 Israel’s[a] sentinels are blind;
they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent dogs
that cannot bark,
dreaming, lying down,
loving to slumber.(A)
11 The dogs have a mighty appetite;
they never have enough.
The shepherds also have no understanding;
they have all turned to their own way,
to their own gain, one and all.
12 “Come,” they say, “let us[b] get wine;
let us fill ourselves with strong drink.
And tomorrow will be like today,
great beyond measure.”
2 Peter 2:14-19
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14 They have eyes full of adultery,[a] insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor,[b] who loved the wages of doing wrong(A) 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved.(B) 18 For they speak bombastic nonsense, and with debased[c] desires of the flesh they entice people who have just[d] escaped from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, for people are slaves to whatever masters them.(C)
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Titus 1:11
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11 they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach.(A)
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