Calling The Bad Good

Woe <FI>to<Fi> those saying to evil `good,' And to good `evil,' Putting darkness for light, and light for darkness, Putting bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.

Whoso is justifying the wicked, And condemning the righteous, Even both of these <FI>are<Fi> an abomination to Jehovah.

The love unfeigned: abhorring the evil; cleaving to the good;

for there shall be a season when the sound teaching they will not suffer, but according to their own desires to themselves they shall heap up teachers--itching in the hearing, — read the full passage →

`For there is not a good tree making bad fruit, nor a bad tree making good fruit; — read the full passage →

and he said to them, `Ye are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God doth know your hearts; because that which among men is high, <FI>is<Fi> abomination before God;

to him, then, knowing to do good, and not doing, sin it is to him.

Beloved, be not thou following that which is evil, but that which is good; he who is doing good, of God he is, and he who is doing evil hath not seen God;

Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words, And ye have said: `In what have we wearied Him?' In your saying: `Every evil-doer <FI>is<Fi> good in the eyes of Jehovah, And in them He is delighting,' Or, `Where <FI>is<Fi> the God of judgment?'

Because of paining the heart of the righteous with falsehood, And I have not pained it, And strengthening the hands of the wicked, So as not to turn back from his evil way, To keep him alive,

Whoso is saying to the wicked, `Thou <FI>art<Fi> righteous,' Peoples execrate him--nations abhor him. — read the full passage →

all things prove; that which is good hold fast; — read the full passage →

have ye not known that the unrighteous the reign of God shall not inherit? be not led astray; neither whoremongers, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, — read the full passage →

but if thine eye may be evil, all thy body shall be dark; if, therefore, the light that <FI>is<Fi> in thee is darkness--the darkness, how great!

and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness and rather even convict,

`Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like to whitewashed sepulchres, which outwardly indeed do appear beautiful, and within are full of bones of dead men, and of all uncleanness; — read the full passage →

so every good tree doth yield good fruits, but the bad tree doth yield evil fruits. — read the full passage →

Ye who are hating good, and loving evil, Taking violently their skin from off them, And their flesh from off their bones,

An abomination to Jehovah <FI>are<Fi> lying lips, And stedfast doers <FI>are<Fi> his delight.

Whoso is saying to the wicked, `Thou <FI>art<Fi> righteous,' Peoples execrate him--nations abhor him.

and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what <FI>is<Fi> the will of God--the good, and acceptable, and perfect.

And in prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing, Committing adultery, and walking falsely, Yea, they strengthened the hands of evil doers, So that they have not turned back Each from his wickedness, They have been to me--all of them--as Sodom, And its inhabitants as Gomorrah.

The thoughts of the righteous <FI>are<Fi> justice, The counsels of the wicked--deceit.

There is a way--right before a man, And its latter end <FI>are<Fi> ways of death.

The wicked hath desired the net of evil doers, And the root of the righteous giveth.

Be not led astray; evil communications corrupt good manners;

Ye who are turning to wormwood judgment, And righteousness to the earth have put down,

so also ye outwardly indeed do appear to men righteous, and within ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

for overswellings of vanity speaking, they do entice in desires of the flesh--lasciviousnesses, those who had truly escaped from those conducting themselves in error, — read the full passage →

Let not, then, your good be evil spoken of,

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.'

And they come in unto thee as the coming in of a people, And they sit before thee--My people, And have heard thy words, and they do them not, For doting loves with their mouth they are making, After their dishonest gain their heart is going.

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.

And we have known that to those loving God all things do work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose;

if we may say--`we have fellowship with Him,' and in the darkness may walk--we lie, and do not the truth;

`None is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other; ye are not able to serve God and Mammon.

having a good conscience, that in that in which they speak against you as evil-doers, they may be ashamed who are traducing your good behaviour in Christ;

doth the fountain out of the same opening pour forth the sweet and the bitter? — read the full passage →

And I call upon you, brethren, to mark those who the divisions and the stumbling-blocks, contrary to the teaching that ye did learn, are causing, and turn ye away from them; — read the full passage →

`But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves. — read the full passage →

`The lamp of the body is the eye, if, therefore, thine eye may be perfect, all thy body shall be enlightened, — read the full passage →

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, <FI>is<Fi> with you, as ye said. — read the full passage →

Its priests have wronged My law, And they pollute My holy things, Between holy and common they have not made separation, And between the unclean and the clean they have not made known, And from my sabbaths they have hidden their eyes, And I am pierced in their midst.

Thou hast loved evil rather than good, Lying, than speaking righteousness. Selah.

Jehovah the righteous doth try. And the wicked and the lover of violence, Hath His soul hated,

`Thou dost not answer against thy neighbour a false testimony.

and there may not at all enter into it any thing defiling and doing abomination, and a lie, but--those written in the scroll of the life of the Lamb.

wherefore, the rather, brethren, be diligent to make stedfast your calling and choice, for these things doing, ye may never stumble,

let him turn aside from evil, and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it;

for unrepented of <FI>are<Fi> the gifts and the calling of God;

and Peter said unto them, `Reform, and be baptized each of you on the name of Jesus Christ, to remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,

take heed, then, lest the light that <FI>is<Fi> in thee be darkness;

so every good tree doth yield good fruits, but the bad tree doth yield evil fruits. — read the full passage →

Acceptance of the face of the wicked <FI>is<Fi> not good, To turn aside the righteous in judgment.

And this is the message that we have heard from Him, and announce to you, that God is light, and darkness in Him is not at all; — read the full passage →

let him turn aside from evil, and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it; — read the full passage →

for `he who is willing to love life, and to see good days, let him guard his tongue from evil, and his lips--not to speak guile; — read the full passage →

Having put aside, then, all evil, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings,

and now ye glory in your pride; all such glorying is evil;

Adulterers and adulteresses! have ye not known that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever, then, may counsel to be a friend of the world, an enemy of God he is set.

out of the same mouth doth come forth blessing and cursing; it doth not need, my brethren, these things so to happen; — read the full passage →

Many teachers become not, my brethren, having known that greater judgment we shall receive,

and become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves,

God they profess to know, and in the works they deny <FI>Him<Fi> , being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work disapproved.

for there shall be a season when the sound teaching they will not suffer, but according to their own desires to themselves they shall heap up teachers--itching in the hearing,

And this know thou, that in the last days there shall come perilous times, — read the full passage →

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;

wranglings of men wholly corrupted in mind, and destitute of the truth, supposing the piety to be gain; depart from such;

And the Spirit expressly speaketh, that in latter times shall certain fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons, — read the full passage →

from all appearance of evil abstain ye;

and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness and rather even convict, — read the full passage →

Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the sons of the disobedience,

Become, then, followers of God, as children beloved, — read the full passage →

and no wonder--for even the Adversary doth transform himself into a messenger of light; — read the full passage →

for what have I also those without to judge? those within do ye not judge? — read the full passage →

and now, I did write to you not to keep company with <FI>him<Fi> , if any one, being named a brother, may be a whoremonger, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--with such a one not even to eat together; — read the full passage →

Not good <FI>is<Fi> your glorying; have ye not known that a little leaven the whole lump doth leaven?

for see your calling, brethren, that not many <FI>are<Fi> wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; — read the full passage →

Be not overcome by the evil, but overcome, in the good, the evil.

for the good that I will, I do not; but the evil that I do not will, this I practise.

And, according as they did not approve of having God in knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things not seemly;

for revealed is the wrath of God from heaven upon all impiety and unrighteousness of men, holding down the truth in unrighteousness.

`The good man out of the good treasure of his heart doth bring forth that which <FI>is<Fi> good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart doth bring forth that which <FI>is<Fi> evil; for out of the abounding of the heart doth his mouth speak.

because nothing shall be impossible with God.'

`Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye make clean the outside of the cup and the plate, and within they are full of rapine and incontinence. — read the full passage →

A good tree is not able to yield evil fruits, nor a bad tree to yield good fruits.

From their fruits ye shall know them; do <FI>men<Fi> gather from thorns grapes? or from thistles figs? — read the full passage →

And now, to you <FI>is<Fi> this charge, O priests, — read the full passage →

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: `Ask, I pray thee, the priests <FI>of<Fi> the law, saying: — read the full passage →

Hear this, I pray you, heads of the house of Jacob, And ye judges of the house of Israel, Who are making judgment abominable, And all uprightness do pervert.

Declaring righteous the wicked for a bribe, And the righteousness of the righteous They turn aside from him.

When his voice is gracious trust not in him, For seven abominations <FI>are<Fi> in his heart.

By his lips doth a hater dissemble, And in his heart he placeth deceit, — read the full passage →

A scorner loveth not his reprover, Unto the wise he goeth not.

Deceit <FI>is<Fi> in the heart of those devising evil, And to those counselling peace <FI>is<Fi> joy.

The way of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> strength to the perfect, And ruin to workers of iniquity.

Because the wicked hath boasted Of the desire of his soul, And a dishonest gainer he hath blessed, He hath despised Jehovah.

and the great dragon was cast forth--the old serpent, who is called `Devil,' and `the Adversary,' who is leading astray the whole world--he was cast forth to the earth, and his messengers were cast forth with him.

one body and one Spirit, according as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;

for it hath been written, `I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will bring to nought;' — read the full passage →