¹⁰ for a root of all the evils is the love of money, which certain longing for did go astray from the faith, and themselves did pierce through with many sorrows;

¹¹ Her heads for a bribe do judge, And her priests for hire do teach, And her prophets for silver divine, And on Jehovah they lean, saying, `Is not Jehovah in our midst? Evil doth not come in upon us.'

¹⁹ Brethren, if any among you may go astray from the truth, and any one may turn him back,

¹¹ And the dogs `are' strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they `are' shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them to their own way they did turn, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter:

¹⁹ So `are' the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.

¹⁰ Many `are' the pains of the wicked; As to him who is trusting in Jehovah, Kindness doth compass him.

¹⁹ Thou dost not turn aside judgment; thou dost not discern faces, nor take a bribe, for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

³ not given to wine, not a striker, not given to filthy lucre, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money,

¹⁶ `Men, brethren, it behoved this Writing that it be fulfilled that beforehand the Holy Spirit spake through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who became guide to those who took Jesus,

¹⁷ because he was numbered among us, and did receive the share in this ministration,

¹⁸ this one, indeed, then, purchased a field out of the reward of unrighteousness, and falling headlong, burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed forth,

¹⁹ and it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, insomuch that that place is called, in their proper dialect, Aceldama, that is, field of blood,

¹³ `Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for ye do not go in, nor those going in do ye suffer to enter.

¹⁰ Who `is' even among you, And he shutteth the two-leaved doors? Yea, ye do not kindle Mine altar for nought, I have no pleasure in you, said Jehovah of Hosts, And a present I do not accept of your hand.

³ On the evil `are' both hands to do `it' well, The prince is asking -- also the judge -- for recompence, And the great -- he is speaking the mischief of his soul, And they wrap it up.

⁴ Their best one `is' as a brier, The upright one -- than a thorn-hedge, The day of thy watchmen -- Thy visitation -- hath come. Now is their perplexity.

⁹ and those wishing to be rich, do fall into temptation and a snare, and many desires, foolish and hurtful, that sink men into ruin and destruction,

²¹ which certain professing -- concerning the faith did swerve; the grace `is' with you. Amen.

¹⁰ for Demas forsook me, having loved the present age, and went on to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia,

¹¹ whose mouth it behoveth to stop, who whole households do overturn, teaching what things it behoveth not, for filthy lucre's sake.

⁷ and righteous Lot, worn down by the conduct in lasciviousness of the impious, He did rescue,

⁸ for in seeing and hearing, the righteous man, dwelling among them, day by day the righteous soul with unlawful works was harassing.

¹¹ wo to them! because in the way of Cain they did go on, and to the deceit of Balaam for reward they did rush, and in the gainsaying of Korah they did perish.

¹³ and cinnamon, and odours, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots, and of bodies and souls of men.

¹² A bribe they have taken in thee to shed blood, Usury and increase thou hast taken, And cuttest off thy neighbour by oppression, And Me thou hast forgotten, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!

³³ To all whores they give a gift, And -- thou hast given thy gifts to all thy lovers, And dost bribe them to come in unto thee, From round about -- in thy whoredoms.

³¹ And Jehovah seeth that Leah `is' the hated one, and He openeth her womb, and Rachel `is' barren;

³² and Leah conceiveth, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Reuben, for she said, `Because Jehovah hath looked on mine affliction; because now doth my husband love me.'

³³ And she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and saith, `Because Jehovah hath heard that I `am' the hated one, He also giveth to me even this `one';' and she calleth his name Simeon.

³⁴ And she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and saith, `Now `is' the time, my husband is joined unto me, because I have born to him three sons,' therefore hath `one' called his name Levi.

³⁵ And she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and saith this time, `I praise Jehovah;' therefore hath she called his name Judah; and she ceaseth from bearing.

²³ their cattle, and their substance, and all their beasts -- are they not ours? only let us consent to them, and they dwell with us.'

²⁴ And unto Hamor, and unto Shechem his son, hearken do all those going out of the gate of his city, and every male is circumcised, all those going out of the gate of his city.

¹⁶ and he turneth aside unto her by the way, and saith, `Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee,' (for he hath not known that she `is' his daughter-in-law); and she saith, `What dost thou give to me, that thou mayest come in unto me?'

⁷ from a false matter thou dost keep far off, and an innocent and righteous man thou dost not slay; for I do not justify a wicked man.

⁸ `And a bribe thou dost not take; for the bribe bindeth the open-`eyed', and perverteth the words of the righteous.

⁴ because that they have not come before you with bread and with water in the way, in your coming out from Egypt, and because he hath hired against thee Balaam son of Beor, of Pethor of Aram-Naharaim, to revile thee;

⁵ and Jehovah thy God hath not been willing to hearken unto Balaam, and Jehovah thy God doth turn for thee the reviling to a blessing, because Jehovah thy God hath loved thee;

¹⁸ thou dost not bring a gift of a whore, or a price of a dog, into the house of Jehovah thy God, for any vow; for the abomination of Jehovah thy God `are' even both of them.

¹⁰ And Micah saith to him, `Dwell with me, and be to me for a father and for a priest, and I give to thee ten silverlings for the days, and a suit of garments, and thy sustenance;' and the Levite goeth `in'.

¹¹ And the Levite is willing to dwell with the man, and the young man is to him as one of his sons.

¹⁹ and they say to him, `Keep silent, lay thy hand on thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us for a father and for a priest: is it better thy being a priest to the house of one man, or thy being priest to a tribe and to a family in Israel?'

²⁰ And the heart of the priest is glad, and he taketh the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and goeth into the midst of the people,

²⁹ and call the name of the city Dan, by the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; and yet Laish `is' the name of the city at the first.

³⁰ And the sons of Dan raise up for themselves the graven image, and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, he and his sons have been priests to the tribe of the Danite, till the day of the removal of `the people' of the land.

³¹ And they appoint for them the graven image of Micah, which he had made, all the days of the house of God being in Shiloh.

¹⁹ Yea, ye pierce Me concerning My people, For handfuls of barley, And for pieces of bread, to put to death Souls that should not die, And to keep alive souls that should not live, By your lying to My people -- hearkening to lies.

²⁷ As a cage full of fowls, So their houses are full of deceit, Therefore they have been great, and are rich.

²⁸ They have been fat, they have shone, Yea, they have overpassed the acts of the evil, Judgment they have not judged, The judgment of the fatherless -- and they prosper, And the judgment of the needy they have not judged.

²³ Thy princes `are' apostates, and companions of thieves, Every one loving a bribe, and pursuing rewards, The fatherless they judge not, And the plea of the widow cometh not to them.

³¹ And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.

²⁷ yea, the leprosy of Naaman doth cleave to thee, and to thy seed, -- to the age;' and he goeth out from before him -- leprous as snow.

¹⁰ when one is declaring to me, saying, Lo, Saul is dead, and he was as a bearer of tidings in his own eyes, then I take hold on him, and slay him in Ziklag, instead of my giving to him `for' the tidings.

¹¹ Also -- when wicked men have slain the righteous man in his own house, on his bed; and now, do not I require his blood of your hand, and have taken you away from the earth?'

¹⁴ `But I have against thee a few things: That thou hast there those holding the teaching of Balaam, who did teach Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom;

¹⁵ so hast thou, even thou, those holding the teaching of the Nicolaitans -- which thing I hate.

²⁶ And Laban saith, `It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first-born;

¹⁴ and Laban saith to him, `Only my bone and my flesh `art' thou;' and he dwelleth with him a month of days.