Zephaniah 3:4

Judgment Of Jerusalem And The Nations

³ Her officials in her midst [are] roaring lions; her judges [are] evening wolves; they leave nothing until the morning. ⁴ Her prophets [are] arrogant men of treachery; her priests have defiled [that which is] holy; they do violence to [the] law. ⁵ Yahweh [is] righteous in her midst; he does not do wickedness. {Morning by morning} he renders his judgment; at dawn he does not fail, but an evil one knows no shame.

Defile the Temple

Holy Place

Ezekiel 22:26

Its priests treat my law violently, and they profane my holy objects; they do not distinguish between holy object and what is unholy, or between the clean and the unclean. They do not teach the difference, and they hide their eyes from my Sabbaths, and [so] I am profaned in the midst of them.

Hosea 9:7

The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have come; Israel knows! The prophet [is] a fool, the man of the spirit [is] acting like a madman. Because of the greatness of your sin, [your] hostility [is] great.

Malachi 2:8

But you, you have turned from the way; you have caused many to stumble by [your] instruction; you have ruined the covenant of Levi," says Yahweh of hosts.

1 Samuel 2:12-17

Now the sons of Eli [were] {worthless scoundrels}; they did not know Yahweh.

1 Samuel 2:22

Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel and that they [were] having sexual relations with the women who [were] serving [at] the entrance of [the] tent of assembly.

Isaiah 9:15

Elders and {the respectable} [are] the head, and prophets who teach lies [are] the tail.

Isaiah 56:10-12

His watchmen [are] blind, none of them know. They [are] all dumb dogs; they are unable to bark, panting, lying down, loving to slumber.

Jeremiah 5:31

The prophets prophesy {falsely}, and the priests rule {by their own authority}, and my people love [it] so much. But what will you do {when the end comes}?

Jeremiah 6:13-14

"For from the smallest of them to the greatest of them, {everyone} makes profit for unlawful gain. And from the prophet to the priest, {everyone} practices deceit.

Jeremiah 8:10

Therefore I will give their wives to others, their fields to conquerors, because from [the] smallest to [the] greatest, all of them make profit [for] unlawful gain, from prophet to priest, all of them practice deceit.

Jeremiah 14:13-15

Then I said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh, look, the prophets [are] saying to them, 'You will not see [the] sword, and famine will not be yours, but reliable peace I will give to you in this place.'"

Jeremiah 23:9-17

Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken in my midst. All my bones tremble. I have become like a drunken man, even like a man over whom wine has passed, because of Yahweh, and because of {his holy words}.

Jeremiah 23:25-27

"I have heard what the prophets who prophesy lies have said in my name, {saying}, 'I have dreamed! I have dreamed!'

Jeremiah 23:32

Look, I [am] against those who prophesy dreams of lies," {declares} Yahweh, "and tell them, and they caused my people to err through their lies, and in their recklessness, when I myself have not sent them nor commanded them, so they profit not this people at all," {declares} Yahweh.

Jeremiah 27:14-15

And you must not listen to the words of the prophets who are speaking to you, {saying}, 'You must not serve the king of Babylon,' for they [are] prophesying a lie to you.

Lamentations 2:14

Your prophets had a vision for you, false and worthless; they have not exposed your sin, to restore your fortune; they have seen oracles for you, false and misleading.

Ezekiel 13:3-16

Thus says the Lord Yahweh: 'Alas, for the foolish prophets who [are] going after their [own] spirit, {and they did not see anything}!

Ezekiel 44:7-8

At your bringing {foreigners} [who are] uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh to be in my sanctuary to profane it, my temple, {as you offered my food, fat, and blood}, so you broke my covenant by all of your detestable things.

Hosea 4:6-8

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from acting as a priest for me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

Micah 2:11

If a man walks about in a spirit of deception and lies, [saying] "I will preach to you of wine and strong drink," then he would be a preacher [for] this people!

Micah 3:5-6

Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who are leading my people astray, who are biting with their teeth and proclaim, "Peace," but whoever puts nothing into their mouths they declare war against.

Matthew 7:15

"Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves.

2 Corinthians 11:13

For such people [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

2 Peter 2:1-3

But there were also false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you also, who will bring in {destructive heresies}, even denying the Master who bought them, [thus] bringing on themselves swift destruction.

1 John 4:1

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits [to determine] if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Revelation 19:20

And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs before him, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.