Hypocrisy: General Scriptures Concerning

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish. …

Moreover, this will be my salvation, for no godless man can appear before Him.

Let him not deceive himself with trust in emptiness, for emptiness will be his reward.

He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.

For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.

The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent are stirred against the godless.

Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth, …

For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life? …

This is the wicked man’s portion from God—the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty. …

…if I have covered my transgressions like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart,

…because I greatly feared the crowds and the contempt of the clans terrified me, so that I kept silent and would not go outside—

…that godless men should not rule or lay snares for the people.

The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when He binds them, they do not cry for help.

They die in their youth, among the male shrine prostitutes.

For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.

To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?

For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.

You love every word that devours, O deceitful tongue.

For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide. …

My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.

His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.

But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.

No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my presence.

Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart. …

With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them.

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.

“Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer, but on the way out, he gloats.

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with ill intent!

Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies; …

Like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.

Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows,

…so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”

Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart. …

“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. …

Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”

You have turned things upside down, as if the potter were regarded as clay. Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pottery say of the potter, “He has no understanding”?

No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.

For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”

“Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel—but not in truth or righteousness—

…who indeed call yourselves after the holy city and lean on the God of Israel; the LORD of Hosts is His name.

For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.” …

For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity; in My faithfulness I will give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.

They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.

Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and delighted in their abominations. …

Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.

And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than unfaithful Judah.

Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”

What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”

Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’

“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.

Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’ …

She weeps aloud in the night, with tears upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.

Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and abominations, I Myself will withdraw My favor; I will not look upon you with pity, nor will I spare you.

Therefore speak to them and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him according to his great idolatry,

For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the LORD will answer him Myself.

I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among My people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’ …

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes.

They do not cry out to Me from their hearts when they wail upon their beds. They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from Me.

They turn, but not to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword for the cursing of their tongue; for this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.

Israel cries out to Me, “O our God, we know You!”

But Israel has rejected good; an enemy will pursue him.

Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to Me, and though they eat the meat, the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt.

They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD, and their sacrifices will not please Him, but will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat will be defiled. For their bread will be for themselves; it will not enter the house of the LORD.

Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.

They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

Ephraim surrounds Me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.

“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. …

All the men allied with you will drive you to the border; the men at peace with you will deceive and overpower you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you without your awareness of it.

Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”

Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.

“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?

And when you were eating and drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves?

If someone asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ he will answer, ‘These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends.’

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ …

And this is another thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning, because He no longer regards your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.

You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts?

But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.

“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. …

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: …

…and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times.

“Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ …

‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.

Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?

“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. …

The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.

Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.

Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. …

Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. …

“Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

Salt is good, but if the salt loses its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces, …

Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?

Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Then the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. …

In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.

Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and that is what happens. …

Then He placed His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and began to glorify God. …

Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’

Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned?

It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’

“Beware of the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, and they love the greetings in the marketplaces, the chief seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.

They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.

Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”

Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”

He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; …

It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.

Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

We are not commending ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who take pride in appearances rather than in the heart.

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!

For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

…influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.

…having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

…while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. …

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? …

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.

Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.