26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

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26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.(A)

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Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

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You adulterous(A) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(B) means enmity against God?(C) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

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True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets.(A) They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.(B)

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19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

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19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you(A) out of the world. That is why the world hates you.(B)

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They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

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They are from the world(A) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.(B) This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth(C) and the spirit of falsehood.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 John 4:6 Or spirit

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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And then the lawless one will be revealed,(A) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth(B) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.(C) The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan(D) works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders(E) that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.(F) They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.(G) 11 For this reason God sends them(H) a powerful delusion(I) so that they will believe the lie(J) 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.(K)

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11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

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11 If a liar and deceiver(A) comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(B)
    that would be just the prophet for this people!(C)

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31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

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31 The prophets prophesy lies,(A)
    the priests(B) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?(C)

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10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

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10 They say to the seers,(A)
    “See no more visions(B)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,(C)
    prophesy illusions.(D)

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18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

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18 For they mouth empty, boastful words(A) and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping(B) from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”(C)

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But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

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False Teachers and Their Destruction

But there were also false prophets(A) among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.(B) They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord(C) who bought them(D)—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct(E) and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed(F) these teachers will exploit you(G) with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

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And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

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One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.(A) The whole world was filled with wonder(B) and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like(C) the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

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18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

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18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ,(A) but their own appetites.(B) By smooth talk and flattery they deceive(C) the minds of naive people.

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