“ Watch out for false prophets. They come to you pretending to be sheep. But on the inside they are hungry wolves.

“你们要防备假先知。他们到你们这里来，外面披着羊皮，里面却是残暴的狼。

“你们要防备假先知。他们到你们这里来，外面披着羊皮，里面却是残暴的狼。

“你们要防备假先知。他们到你们这里来，外面披着羊皮，里面却是残暴的狼。

“你们要提防假先知，他们披着羊皮到你们当中，骨子里却是凶残的狼。

“提防假先知！他们披着羊皮到你们当中，里面却是残暴的狼。

“你们要提防假先知。他们披着羊皮来到你们这里，里面却是凶残的狼。

「你們要防備假先知。他們到你們這裏來，外面披着羊皮，裏面卻是殘暴的狼。

「你們要防備假先知。他們到你們這裏來，外面披着羊皮，裏面卻是殘暴的狼。

「你們要防備假先知。他們到你們這裏來，外面披着羊皮，裏面卻是殘暴的狼。

「你們要提防假先知，他們披著羊皮到你們當中，骨子裡卻是凶殘的狼。

“提防假先知！他們披著羊皮到你們當中，裡面卻是殘暴的狼。

『你們要注意提防假的神言人；那種人到你們這裏來，打扮得像羊，裏面卻是勒索的狼。

「你們要提防假先知。他們披著羊皮來到你們這裡，裡面卻是凶殘的狼。

謹防偽先知、其就爾也、外飾若羊、內則貪狼、

謹防偽師、其就爾、外如羔羊、內實豺狼、

謹防偽先知、其就爾、外似羊、內實豺狼、

有現於爾前者、外披羊皮、內實貪狼、冒作先知、不可不防也。

“ Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

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

“ Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

“ Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.

“ Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

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

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

“ Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.

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

“ Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.

“ Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit. Test the spirits to see if they belong to God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Many false prophets will appear. They will fool many people.

But there were also false prophets among the people. In the same way there will be false teachers among you. In secret they will bring in teachings that will destroy you. They will even turn against the Lord and Master who died to pay for their sins. So they will quickly destroy themselves.Many people will follow their lead. These people will do the same evil things the false teachers do. They will cause people to think badly about the way of truth.These teachers are never satisfied. They want to get something out of you. So they make up stories to take advantage of you. They have been under a sentence of death for a long time. The God who will destroy them has not been sleeping.

Make sure no one controls you. They will try to control you by using false reasoning that has no meaning. Their ideas depend on human teachings. They also depend on the basic spiritual powers of this world. They don’t depend on Christ.

I know that after I leave, wild wolves will come in among you. They won’t spare any of the sheep.Even men from your own people will rise up and twist the truth. They want to get the believers to follow them.So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning you. Night and day I warned each of you with tears.

False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will do signs and miracles. They will try to fool God’s chosen people if possible.Keep watch! I have told you everything ahead of time.

Suppose a prophet appears among you. Or someone comes who uses dreams to tell what’s going to happen. He tells you that a sign or something amazing is going to take place.The sign or amazing thing he has spoken about might really take place. And then the prophet might say,“ Let’s serve other gods. Let’s worship them.” But you haven’t known anything about those gods before.So you must not listen to what that prophet or dreamer has said. The Lord your God is testing you. He wants to know whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

People like that are false apostles. They are workers who tell lies. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ.That comes as no surprise. Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light.So it doesn’t surprise us that Satan’s servants also pretend to be serving God. They will finally get exactly what they deserve.

Your judges take money from people who want special favors. Your priests teach only if they get paid for it. Your prophets won’t tell fortunes unless they receive money. But you still look for the Lord’ s help. You say,“ The Lord is with us. No trouble will come on us.”

How terrible for you when everyone says good things about you! Their people treated the false prophets the same way long ago.

Dear friends, you have already been warned about this. So be on your guard. Then you won’t be led astray by people who don’t obey the law. Instead, you will remain safe.

Certain people have secretly slipped in among you. Long ago it was written that they would be judged. They are ungodly people. They misuse the grace of our God as an excuse for sexual sins. They say no to Jesus Christ, our only Lord and King.

The Lord says,“ The prophets are those who lead my people astray. If my people feed them, the prophets promise them peace. If my people do not feed them, the prophets prepare to go to war against them.So night will come on the prophets. But they will not have any visions. Darkness will cover them. But they will not be able to figure out what is going to happen. The sun will set on the prophets. The day will become dark for them.Those who see visions will be put to shame. Those who try to figure out what is going to happen will be dishonored. All of them will cover their faces. I will not answer them.”

But the beast and the false prophet were captured. The false prophet had done signs for the beast. In this way the false prophet had tricked some people. Those people had received the mark of the beast and had worshiped its statue. The beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire. The lake of fire burns with sulfur.

The officials in the land are like wolves that tear their food apart. They spill blood and kill people to get rich.

Then I saw a second beast. This one came out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb. But it spoke like a dragon.This beast had all the authority of the first beast. It did what the first beast wanted. It made the earth and all who live on it worship the first beast. The first beast was the one whose deadly wound had been healed.The second beast performed great signs. It even made fire come from heaven to the earth. And the fire was seen by everyone.The first beast had given the second beast the power to perform these signs. By these signs, the second beast tricked those who live on the earth. The second beast ordered people to set up a statue to honor the first beast. The first beast was the one who had been wounded by a sword and still lived.The second beast was allowed to give breath to this statue so it could speak. The statue could kill all who refused to worship it.It also forced everyone to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. People great or small, rich or poor, free or slave had to receive the mark.They could not buy or sell anything unless they had the mark. The mark is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

I am warning you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who try to keep you from staying together. They want to trip you up. They teach you things opposite to what you have learned. Stay away from them.People like that are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving only themselves. With smooth talk and with words they don’t mean they fool people who don’t know any better.

The time will come when people won’t put up with true teaching. Instead, they will try to satisfy their own desires. They will gather a large number of teachers around them. The teachers will say what the people want to hear.

Then the Lord said to me,“ The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them. I have not even spoken to them. Everything they tell you about their visions or secret knowledge is a lie. They pretend to bring you messages from other gods. They try to get you to believe their own mistaken ideas.So here is what I am saying about the prophets who are prophesying in my name. I did not send them. But they are saying,‘ No war or hunger will come to this land.’ Those same prophets will die because of war and hunger.And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem. They will die because of hunger and war. No one will bury them. No one will bury their wives and children. I will pour out trouble on them. That is exactly what they should get.

“ Among the prophets of Samaria I saw something I can’t stand. They were prophesying in the name of Baal. They were leading my people Israel astray.I have also seen something horrible among Jerusalem’s prophets. They are not faithful to me. They are not living by the truth. They strengthen the hands of those who do evil. So not one of them turns from their sinful ways. All of them are like the people of Sodom to me. They are just like the people of Gomorrah.”So the Lord who rules over all speaks about the prophets. He says,“ I will make them eat bitter food. I will make them drink poisoned water. The prophets of Jerusalem have spread their ungodly ways all through the land.”The Lord who rules over all says to the people of Judah,“ Do not listen to what the prophets are saying to you. They fill you with false hopes. They talk about visions that come from their own minds. What they say does not come from my mouth.

They will act as if they were serving God. But what they do will show that they have turned their backs on God’s power. Have nothing to do with these people.They are the kind who trick their way into the homes of some women. These women are ready to believe anything. And they take control over these women. These women are loaded down with sins. They give in to all kinds of evil desires.They are always learning. But they are never able to come to know the truth.Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. In the same way, the teachers I’m talking about oppose the truth. Their minds are twisted. As far as the faith is concerned, God doesn’t accept them.They won’t get very far. Just like Jannes and Jambres, their foolish ways will be clear to everyone.

As he taught, he said,“ Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in long robes. They like to be greeted with respect in the market.They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. They also love to have the places of honor at dinners.They take over the houses of widows. They say long prayers to show off. God will punish these men very much.”

How can you possibly not understand? I wasn’t talking to you about bread. But watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He speaks about Ahab and Zedekiah. Ahab is the son of Kolaiah. Zedekiah is the son of Maaseiah. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. The Lord says about Ahab and Zedekiah,“ I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He will put them to death. You will see it with your own eyes.

“ Be careful,” Jesus said to them.“ Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

This matter came up because some people had slipped in among us. They had pretended to be believers. They wanted to find out about the freedom we have because we belong to Christ Jesus. They wanted to make us slaves again.

Watch out for those dogs. They are people who do evil things. When they circumcise, it is nothing more than a useless cutting of the body.

False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will do great signs and miracles. They will try to fool God’s chosen people if possible.See, I have told you ahead of time.

Evil people and pretenders will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, and others will fool them.

Jerusalem’s officials are like roaring lions. Their rulers are like wolves that hunt in the evening. They don’t leave anything to eat in the morning.Their prophets care about nothing. They can’t be trusted. Their priests make the temple“ unclean.” They break the law they teach others to obey.

Ezekiel, the princes of the land are like a roaring lion that tears its food apart. They eat people up. They take treasures and other valuable things. They cause many women in the land to become widows.

Be careful! Don’t let what the prophets spoke about happen to you. They said,

Jesus answered,“ Keep watch! Be careful that no one fools you.Many will come in my name. They will claim,‘ I am the Messiah!’ They will fool many people.

Don’t let anyone fool you with worthless words. People who say things like that aren’t obeying God. He is angry with them.

So I say,‘ I will certainly punish Shemaiah, the Nehelamite. I will also punish his children after him. He will not have any children left among these people. I will do good things for my people. But he will not see them,’ ” ’ ” announces the Lord.“ ‘ “ ‘That’s because he has taught people to turn against me.’ ” ’ ”

We will no longer be babies in the faith. We won’t be like ships tossed around by the waves. We won’t be blown here and there by every new teaching. We won’t be blown around by cleverness and tricks. Certain people use them to hide their evil plans.

Then he said to them,“ Watch out! Be on your guard against wanting to have more and more things. Life is not made up of how much a person has.”

The elders and important leaders are the heads. The prophets who teach lies are the tails.Those who guide the people of Israel are leading them down the wrong path. So those who follow them aren’t on the right road.

The Holy Spirit clearly says that in the last days some people will leave the faith. They will follow spirits that will fool them. They will believe things that demons will teach them.Teachings like those come from liars who pretend to be what they are not. Their sense of what is right and wrong has been destroyed. It’s as though it has been burned with a hot iron.They do not allow people to get married. They order them not to eat certain foods. But God created those foods. So people who believe and know the truth should receive them and give thanks for them.

Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs. They came out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet.

“ At that time every prophet will be ashamed of the vision they see. They will no longer pretend to be a true prophet. They will not put on clothes that are made out of hair in order to trick people.

The hired man is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when the hired man sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people. They are the ones who are witnesses about Jesus. When I saw her, I was very amazed.

Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to the false prophet Hananiah. Jeremiah said,“ Listen, Hananiah! The Lord hasn’t sent you. But you have tricked these people. Now they trust in lies.So the Lord says,‘ I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. Before this year is over, you will die. You have taught the people to turn against me.’ ”In the seventh month of that very year, the false prophet Hananiah died.

You prophets of Israel prophesied to Jerusalem. You saw visions of peace for its people. But there wasn’t any peace,’ announces the Lord and King.” ’

Watch out! You will be handed over to the local courts. You will be whipped in the synagogues.

Israel’s prophets are blind. They don’t know the Lord. All of them are like watchdogs that can’t even bark. They just lie around and dream. They love to sleep.They are like dogs that love to eat. They never get enough. They are like shepherds who don’t have any understanding. All of them do as they please. They only look for what they can get for themselves.

They speak empty, bragging words. They make their appeal to the evil desires that come from sin’s power. They tempt new believers who are just escaping from the company of sinful people.They promise to give freedom to these new believers. But they themselves are slaves to sinful living. That’s because“ people are slaves to anything that controls them.”

They traveled all across the island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jew named Bar- Jesus. He was an evil magician and a false prophet.

I had not made godly people sad. But when you told them lies, you made them lose all hope. You advised sinful people not to turn from their evil ways. You did not want them to save their lives.