Proverbs 12:5
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5 The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the advice of the wicked is treacherous.
Isaiah 55:7
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7 let the wicked forsake their way
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.(A)
Psalm 139:23
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23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.(A)
Jeremiah 4:14
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14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart clean of wickedness
so that you may be saved.
How long shall your evil schemes
lodge within you?(A)
2 Corinthians 4:2
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2 We have renounced the shameful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.(A)
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1 Corinthians 4:5
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5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.(A)
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Matthew 26:4
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4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.(A)
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Matthew 2:16
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The Massacre of the Infants
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi,[a] he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi.[b]
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Matthew 2:3-8
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3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[a] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:(A)
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[b] my people Israel.’ ”(B)
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi[c] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
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Proverbs 24:9
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9 The devising of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to all.
Proverbs 11:23
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23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
Psalm 140:1-3
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Psalm 140
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,(A)
2 who plan evil things in their minds
and stir up wars continually.(B)
3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s,
and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah(C)
Psalm 119:15
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15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.(A)
Psalm 41:6-7
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6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words
while their hearts gather mischief;
when they go out, they tell it abroad.(A)
7 All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.(B)
Psalm 36:2-4
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2 For they flatter themselves in their own eyes
that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;
they have ceased to act wisely and do good.(A)
4 They plot mischief while on their beds;
they are set on a way that is not good;
they do not reject evil.(B)
Psalm 12:2-3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
2 They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a deceitful heart they speak.(A)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,(B)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.