Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.

For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,

And even as they did not like to retain God in {their} knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; {to retain: or, to acknowledge} {a reprobate...: or, a mind void of judgment or, an unapproving mind}

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. {more: or, rather}

My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused {them} to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

If we believe not, {yet} he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and {things} wherein {there is} no profit.

And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? {vain...: Heb. knowledge of wind}

Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.

And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. {persuade: or, deceive}

And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by {the means of} those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, {even} his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: {so...: or, that they may be}

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? {maker of...: Heb. fashioner of his fashion}

{Even him}, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; {and} their hearts, that they cannot understand. {shut: Heb. daubed}

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. {more: or, rather}

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion {is} vain.

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand {is} a right hand of falsehood.

Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand {is} a right hand of falsehood:

They that make a graven image {are} all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they {are} their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. {delectable: Heb. desirable}

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to {my} priest.

Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I {am}, and none else beside me. {perverted...: or, caused thee to turn away}

Why {then} is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints. {saints: or, most holy}

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, {and} hating one another.

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away {the punishment} thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and {their} ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with {their} eyes, and hear with {their} ears, and should understand with {their} heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: {my mouth...: Heb. my hand hath kissed my mouth}

And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by {the means of} those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.

For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,

Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth {that which is} not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! {Woe...: or, Ho, he}

The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.

Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit {is} falsehood.

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew {me}.

Their idols {are} silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

Wherefore do ye spend money for {that which is} not bread? and your labour for {that which} satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye {that which is} good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. {spend: Heb. weigh}

Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?