I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
“Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!”
“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord.
Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning.
“Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock?
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.