Jeremiah 6:13

6:13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,

all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.

Prophets and priests alike,

all of them practice deceit.

Isaiah 56:10-12

56:10 All their watchmen ¹  are blind,

they are unaware. ² 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ³  lie down,

and love to snooze.

56:11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full. ⁴ 

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain. ⁵ 

56:12 Each one says, ⁶ 

‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!

Let’s guzzle some beer!

Tomorrow will be just like today!

We’ll have everything we want!’ ⁷ 

Ezekiel 33:31

33:31 They come to you in crowds, ⁸  and they sit in front of you as ⁹  my people. They hear your words, but do not obey ¹⁰  them. For they talk lustfully, ¹¹  and their heart is set on ¹²  their own advantage. ¹³ 

Micah 3:5

3:5 This is what the Lord says: “The prophets who mislead my people

are as good as dead. ¹⁴ 

If someone gives them enough to eat,

they offer an oracle of peace. ¹⁵ 

But if someone does not give them food,

they are ready to declare war on him. ¹⁶ 

Micah 3:11

3:11 Her ¹⁷  leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, ¹⁸ 

her priests proclaim rulings for profit,

and her prophets read omens for pay.

Yet they claim to trust ¹⁹  the Lord and say,

“The Lord is among us. ²⁰ 

Disaster will not overtake ²¹  us!”

Titus 1:7

1:7 For the overseer ²²  must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, ²³  not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.

Titus 1:11

1:11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.

Titus 1:2

1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. ²⁴ 

Titus 2:1-3

Conduct Consistent with Sound Teaching

2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with ²⁵  sound teaching. 2:2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, ²⁶  sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. ²⁷  2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good.

[56:10]  ¹ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ² tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ³ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.

[56:11]  ⁴ sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.

[56:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”

[56:12]  ⁶ tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[56:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.

[33:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “as people come.” Apparently this is an idiom indicating that they come in crowds. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:264.

[33:31]  ⁹ tn The word “as” is supplied in the translation.

[33:31]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “do.”

[33:31]  ¹¹ tn Heb “They do lust with their mouths.”

[33:31]  ¹² tn Heb “goes after.”

[33:31]  ¹³ tn The present translation understands the term often used for “unjust gain” in a wider sense, following M. Greenberg, who also notes that the LXX uses a term which can describe either sexual or ritual pollution. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:687.

[3:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “concerning the prophets, those who mislead my people.” The first person pronominal suffix is awkward in a quotation formula that introduces the words of the Lord. For this reason some prefer to begin the quotation after “the Lord says” (cf. NIV), but this leaves “concerning the prophets” hanging very awkwardly at the beginning of the quotation. It is preferable to add הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) at the beginning of the quotation, right after the graphically similar יְהוָה (yÿhvah; see D. R. Hillers, Micah [Hermeneia], 44). The phrase הוֹי עַל (hoy ’al, “woe upon”) occurs in Jer 50:27 and Ezek 13:3 (with “the prophets” following the preposition in the latter instance).

[3:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “those who bite with their teeth and cry out, ‘peace.’” The phrase “bite with the teeth” is taken here as idiomatic for eating. Apparently these prophets were driven by mercenary motives. If they were paid well, they gave positive oracles to their clients, but if someone could not afford to pay them, they were hostile and delivered oracles of doom.

[3:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “but [as for the one] who does not place [food] in their mouths, they prepare for war against him.”

[3:11]  ¹⁷ sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).

[3:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”

[3:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”

[3:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Is not the Lord in our midst?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he is!”

[3:11]  ²¹ tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”

[1:7]  ²² sn The overseer is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in this passage and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between these verses and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[1:7]  ²³ tn Grk “as God’s steward.”

[1:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “before eternal ages.”

[2:1]  ²⁵ tn Grk “say what is fitting for sound teaching” (introducing the behavior called for in this chapter.).

[2:2]  ²⁶ tn Or “sensible.”

[2:2]  ²⁷ sn Temperate…in endurance. See the same cluster of virtues in 1 Thess 1:3 and 1 Cor 13:13.