Zephaniah 3:4

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Her prophets are good-for-nothing persons, full of deceit: her priests have made the holy place unclean and have gone violently against the law.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Ezek 22:26 : 26 Her priests have been acting violently against my law; they have made my holy things unclean: they have made no division between what is holy and what is common, and they have not made it clear that the unclean is different from the clean, and their eyes have been shut to my Sabbaths, and I am not honoured among them.
  • Hos 9:7 : 7 The days of punishment, the days of reward are come; Israel will be put to shame; the prophet is foolish, the man who has the spirit is off his head, because of your great sin.
  • Mal 2:8 : 8 But you are turned out of the way; you have made the law hard for numbers of people; you have made the agreement of Levi of no value, says the Lord of armies.
  • Matt 7:15 : 15 Be on the watch for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are cruel wolves.
  • 2 Cor 11:13 : 13 For such men are false Apostles, workers of deceit, making themselves seem like Apostles of Christ.
  • 2 Pet 2:1-3 : 1 But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it. 2 And a great number will go with them in their evil ways, through whom the true way will have a bad name. 3 And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them.
  • 1 John 4:1 : 1 My loved ones, do not put your faith in every spirit, but put them to the test, to see if they are from God: because a great number of false prophets have gone out into the world.
  • Rev 19:20 : 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who did the signs before him, by which they were turned from the true way who had the mark of the beast, and who gave worship to his image: these two were put living into the sea of ever-burning fire.
  • Mic 2:11 : 11 If a man came with a false spirit of deceit, saying, I will be a prophet to you of wine and strong drink: he would be the sort of prophet for this people.
  • Mic 3:5-6 : 5 This is what the Lord has said about the prophets by whom my people have been turned from the right way; who, biting with their teeth, say, Peace; and if anyone puts nothing in their mouths they make ready for war against him. 6 For this cause it will be night for you, without a vision; and it will be dark for you, without knowledge of the future; the sun will go down over the prophets, and the day will be black over them.
  • Ezek 44:7-8 : 7 To have let men from strange lands, without circumcision of heart or flesh, come into my holy place, making my house unclean; and to have made the offering of my food, even the fat and the blood; and in addition to all your disgusting ways, you have let my agreement be broken. 8 And you have not taken care of my holy things; but you have put them as keepers to take care of my work in my holy place.
  • Hos 4:6-8 : 6 Destruction has overtaken my people because they have no knowledge; because you have given up knowledge, I will give you up, so that you will be no priest to me, because you have not kept in mind the law of your God, I will not keep your children in my memory. 7 Even while they were increasing in number they were sinning against me; I will let their glory be changed into shame. 8 The sin of my people is like food to them; and their desire is for their wrongdoing.
  • 1 Sam 2:12-17 : 12 Now the sons of Eli were evil and good-for-nothing men, having no knowledge of the Lord. 13 And the priests' way with the people was this: when any man made an offering, the priest's servant came while the flesh was being cooked, having in his hand a meat-hook with three teeth; 14 This he put into the pot, and everything which came up on the hook the priest took for himself. This they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 And more than this, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was making the offering, Give me some of the flesh to be cooked for the priest; he has no taste for meat cooked in water, but would have you give it uncooked. 16 And if the man said to him, First let the fat be burned, then take as much as you will; then the servant would say, No, you are to give it to me now, or I will take it by force. 17 And the sin of these young men was very great before the Lord; for they gave no honour to the Lord's offerings.
  • 1 Sam 2:22 : 22 Now Eli was very old; and he had news from time to time of what his sons were doing to all Israel.
  • Isa 9:15 : 15 The man who is honoured and responsible is the head, and the prophet who gives false teaching is the tail.
  • Isa 56:10-12 : 10 His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dogs without tongues, unable to make a sound; stretched out dreaming, loving sleep. 11 Yes, the dogs are for ever looking for food; while these, the keepers of the sheep, are without wisdom: they have all gone after their pleasure, every one looking for profit; they are all the same. 12 Come, they say, I will get wine, and we will take strong drink in full measure; and tomorrow will be like today, full of pleasure.
  • Jer 5:31 : 31 The prophets give false words and the priests give decisions by their direction; and my people are glad to have it so: and what will you do in the end?
  • Jer 6:13-14 : 13 For from the least of them even to the greatest, everyone is given up to getting money; from the prophet even to the priest, everyone is working deceit. 14 And they have made little of the wounds of my people, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
  • Jer 8:10 : 10 So I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who will take them for themselves: for everyone, from the least to the greatest, is given up to getting money; from the priest even to the prophet, everyone is false.
  • Jer 14:13-15 : 13 Then I said, Ah, Lord God! see, the prophets say to them, You will not see the sword or be short of food; but I will give you certain peace in this place. 14 Then the Lord said to me, The prophets say false words in my name, and I gave them no orders, and I said nothing to them: what they say to you is a false vision and wonder-working words without substance, the deceit of their hearts. 15 So this is what the Lord has said about the prophets who make use of my name, though I sent them not, and say, The sword and need of food will not be in this land: the sword and need of food will put an end to those prophets.
  • Jer 23:9-9 : 9 About the prophets. My heart is broken in me, all my bones are shaking; I am like a man full of strong drink, like a man overcome by wine; because of the Lord, and because of his holy words. 10 For the land is full of men who are untrue to their wives; because of the curse the land is full of grief; the green fields of the waste land have become dry; and they are quick to do evil, their strength is for what is not right. 11 For the prophet as well as the priest is unclean; even in my house I have seen their evil-doing, says the Lord. 12 For this cause their steps will be slipping on their way: they will be forced on into the dark and have a fall there: for I will send evil on them in the year of their punishment, says the Lord. 13 And I have seen ways without sense in the prophets of Samaria; they became prophets of the Baal, causing my people Israel to go wrong. 14 And in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a shocking thing; they are untrue to their wives, walking in deceit, and they make strong the hands of evil-doers, so that a man may not be turned back from his evil-doing: they have all become like Sodom to me, and its people like Gomorrah. 15 So this is what the Lord of armies has said about the prophets: See, I will give them a bitter plant for their food, and bitter water for their drink: for from the prophets of Jerusalem unclean behaviour has gone out into all the land. 16 This is what the Lord of armies has said: Do not give ear to the words which the prophets say to you: they give you teaching of no value: it is from themselves that their vision comes, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. 17 They keep on saying to those who have no respect for the word of the Lord, You will have peace; and to everyone who goes on his way in the pride of his heart, they say, No evil will come to you.
  • Jer 23:25-27 : 25 My ears have been open to what the prophets have said, who say false words in my name, saying, I have had a dream, I have had a dream, I have had a dream, 26 Is (my word) in the hearts of the prophets who give out false words, even the prophets of the deceit of their hearts? 27 Whose purpose is to take away the memory of my name from my people by their dreams, of which every man is talking to his neighbour, as their fathers gave up the memory of my name for the Baal.
  • Jer 23:32 : 32 See, I am against the prophets of false dreams, says the Lord, who give them out and make my people go out of the way by their deceit and their uncontrolled words: but I did not send them or give them orders; and they will be of no profit to this people, says the Lord.
  • Jer 27:14-15 : 14 And you are not to give ear to the prophets who say to you, You will not become servants of the king of Babylon: for what they say is not true. 15 For I have not sent them, says the Lord, but they are saying what is false in my name, so that I might send you out by force, causing destruction to come on you and on your prophets.
  • Lam 2:14 : 14 The visions which your prophets have seen for you are false and foolish; they have not made clear to you your sin so that your fate might be changed: but they have seen for you false words, driving you away.
  • Ezek 13:3-9 : 3 This is what the Lord has said: A curse on the foolish prophets who go after the spirit which is in them and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel, your prophets have been like jackals in the waste places. 5 You have not gone up into the broken places or made up the wall for the children of Israel to take your place in the fight in the day of the Lord. 6 They have seen visions without substance and made use of secret arts, who say, The Lord has said; and the Lord has not sent them: hoping that the word would have effect. 7 Have you not seen a vision without substance and have you not falsely made use of secret arts, when you say, The Lord has said; though I have said nothing? 8 So this is what the Lord has said: Because your words are without substance and your visions are false, see, I am against you, says the Lord. 9 And my hand will be against the prophets who see visions without substance and who make false use of secret arts: they will not be in the secret of my people, and they will not be recorded in the list of the children of Israel, and they will not come into the land of Israel; and it will be clear to you that I am the Lord. 10 Because, even because they have been guiding my people into error, saying, Peace; when there is no peace; and in the building of a division wall they put whitewash on it: 11 Say to those who put whitewash on it, There will be an overflowing shower; and you, O ice-drops, will come raining down; and it will be broken in two by the storm-wind. 12 And when the wall has come down, will they not say to you, Where is the whitewash which you put on it? 13 For this reason, the Lord has said: I will have it broken in two by a storm-wind in my passion; and there will be an overflowing shower in my wrath, and you, O ice-drops, will come raining angrily down. 14 So I will let the wall, which you were covering with whitewash, be broken down; I will have it levelled to the earth so that its base is uncovered: it will come down, and destruction will come on you with it; and it will be clear to you that I am the Lord. 15 So I will let loose my passion on the wall in full measure, and on those who put whitewash on it; and I will say to you, Where is the wall, and where are those who put whitewash on it? 16 Even the prophets of Israel who say words to Jerusalem, who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace, says the Lord.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Zeph 3:3
    84%

    3 Her rulers are like loud-voiced lions in her; her judges are wolves of the evening, crushing up the bones before the morning.

  • Lam 4:13-14
    2 verses
    82%

    13 It is because of the sins of her prophets and the evil-doing of her priests, by whom the blood of the upright has been drained out in her.

    14 They are wandering like blind men in the streets, they are made unclean with blood, so that their robes may not be touched by men.

  • Ezek 22:25-28
    4 verses
    81%

    25 Her rulers in her are like a loud-voiced lion violently taking his food; they have made a meal of souls; they have taken wealth and valued property; they have made great the number of widows in her.

    26 Her priests have been acting violently against my law; they have made my holy things unclean: they have made no division between what is holy and what is common, and they have not made it clear that the unclean is different from the clean, and their eyes have been shut to my Sabbaths, and I am not honoured among them.

    27 Her rulers in her are like wolves violently taking their food; putting men to death and causing the destruction of souls, so that they may get their profit.

    28 And her prophets have been using whitewash, seeing foolish visions and making false use of secret arts, saying, This is what the Lord has said, when the Lord has said nothing.

  • Mic 3:10-12
    3 verses
    79%

    10 They are building up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with evil-doing.

    11 Its heads take rewards for judging, and the priests take payment for teaching, and the prophets get silver for reading the future: but still, supporting themselves on the Lord, they say, Is not the Lord among us? no evil will overtake us.

    12 For this reason, Zion will be ploughed like a field because of you, and Jerusalem will become a mass of broken walls, and the mountain of the house like a high place in the woods.

  • Jer 23:11
    78%

    11 For the prophet as well as the priest is unclean; even in my house I have seen their evil-doing, says the Lord.

  • Zeph 3:5
    76%

    5 The Lord in her is upright; he will not do evil; every morning he lets his righteousness be seen, he is unchanging; but the evil-doer has no sense of shame.

  • Jer 5:31
    76%

    31 The prophets give false words and the priests give decisions by their direction; and my people are glad to have it so: and what will you do in the end?

  • Lam 1:10
    76%

    10 The hand of her hater is stretched out over all her desired things; for she has seen that the nations have come into her holy place, about whom you gave orders that they were not to come into the meeting of your people.

  • Lam 2:9
    76%

    9 Her doors have gone down into the earth; he has sent destruction on her locks: her king and her princes are among the nations where the law is not; even her prophets have had no vision from the Lord.

  • Jer 2:8
    75%

    8 The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? and those who were expert in the law had no knowledge of me: and the rulers did evil against me, and the prophets became prophets of the Baal, going after things without value.

  • Jer 6:13-14
    2 verses
    75%

    13 For from the least of them even to the greatest, everyone is given up to getting money; from the prophet even to the priest, everyone is working deceit.

    14 And they have made little of the wounds of my people, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

  • Isa 1:21-22
    2 verses
    75%

    21 The upright town has become untrue; there was a time when her judges gave right decisions, when righteousness had a resting-place in her, but now she is full of those who take men's lives.

    22 Your silver is no longer true metal, your wine is mixed with water.

  • Mic 3:5
    74%

    5 This is what the Lord has said about the prophets by whom my people have been turned from the right way; who, biting with their teeth, say, Peace; and if anyone puts nothing in their mouths they make ready for war against him.

  • Jer 23:14-15
    2 verses
    74%

    14 And in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a shocking thing; they are untrue to their wives, walking in deceit, and they make strong the hands of evil-doers, so that a man may not be turned back from his evil-doing: they have all become like Sodom to me, and its people like Gomorrah.

    15 So this is what the Lord of armies has said about the prophets: See, I will give them a bitter plant for their food, and bitter water for their drink: for from the prophets of Jerusalem unclean behaviour has gone out into all the land.

  • Ezek 13:4
    74%

    4 O Israel, your prophets have been like jackals in the waste places.

  • Zeph 3:1
    74%

    1 Sorrow to her who is uncontrolled and unclean, the cruel town!

  • Jer 5:11
    73%

    11 For the people of Israel and the people of Judah have been very false to me, says the Lord.

  • Hos 6:9
    73%

    9 And like a band of thieves waiting for a man, so are the priests watching secretly the way of those going quickly to Shechem, for they are working with an evil design.

  • Jer 23:1
    73%

    1 A curse is on the keepers who are causing the destruction and loss of the sheep of my field, says the Lord.

  • Jer 4:9
    73%

    9 And it will come about in that day, says the Lord, that the heart of the king will be dead in him, and the hearts of the rulers; and the priests will be overcome with fear, and the prophets with wonder.

  • Jer 4:17
    73%

    17 Like keepers of a field they are against her on every side; because she has been fighting against me, says the Lord.

  • Jer 2:26
    73%

    26 As the thief is shamed when he is taken, so is Israel shamed; they, their kings and their rulers, their priests and their prophets;

  • 2 Chr 36:14
    73%

    14 And more than this, all the great men of Judah and the priests and the people made their sin great, turning to all the disgusting ways of the nations; and they made unclean the house of the Lord which he had made holy in Jerusalem.

  • Jer 3:9-10
    2 verses
    73%

    9 So that through all her loose behaviour the land became unclean, and she was untrue, giving herself to stones and trees.

    10 But for all this, her false sister Judah has not come back to me with all her heart, but with deceit, says the Lord.

  • Lam 1:5
    73%

    5 Those who are against her have become the head, everything goes well for her haters; for the Lord has sent sorrow on her because of the great number of her sins: her young children have gone away as prisoners before the attacker.

  • Jer 8:10-11
    2 verses
    73%

    10 So I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who will take them for themselves: for everyone, from the least to the greatest, is given up to getting money; from the priest even to the prophet, everyone is false.

    11 And they have made little of the wounds of the daughter of Zion, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

  • Ps 55:10-11
    2 verses
    73%

    10 By day and night they go round the town, on the walls; trouble and sorrow are in the heart of it.

    11 Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets.

  • Amos 3:10
    72%

    10 For they have no knowledge of how to do what is right, says the Lord, who are storing up violent acts and destruction in their great houses.

  • Ezek 5:6
    72%

    6 And she has gone against my orders by doing evil more than the nations, and against my rules more than the countries round her: for they have given up my orders, and as for my rules, they have not gone in the way of them.

  • Jer 6:7
    72%

    7 As the spring keeps its waters cold, so she keeps her evil in her: the sound of cruel and violent behaviour is in her; before me at all times are disease and wounds.

  • Nah 3:4
    72%

    4 Because of all the false ways of the loose woman, expert in attraction and wise in secret arts, who takes nations in the net of her false ways, and families through her secret arts.

  • Isa 3:8
    72%

    8 For Jerusalem has become feeble, and destruction has come on Judah, because their words and their acts are against the Lord, moving the eyes of his glory to wrath.

  • Hos 4:5
    72%

    5 You will not be able to keep on your feet by day, and by night the prophet will be falling down with you, and I will give your mother to destruction.

  • Ezek 22:9
    72%

    9 In you there are men who say evil of others, causing death; in you they have taken the flesh with the blood for food; in your streets they have put evil designs into effect.

  • Hos 5:1
    72%

    1 Give ear to this, O priests; give attention, O Israel, and you, family of the king; for you are to be judged; you have been a deceit at Mizpah and a net stretched out on Tabor.

  • Ezek 22:7
    72%

    7 In you they have had no respect for father and mother; in you they have been cruel to the man from a strange land; in you they have done wrong to the child without a father and to the widow.

  • Ezek 23:38
    72%

    38 Further, this is what she has done to me: she has made my holy place unclean and has made my Sabbaths unclean.

  • Hos 6:5
    72%

    5 So I have had it cut in stones; I gave them teaching by the words of my mouth;