But select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.

Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

‘“Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.

“You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity.

But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but accurate weights find favour with him.

A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but a just weight is his delight.

Dishonest money dwindles away,
but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends.

A dishonest man spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.

Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity;
whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.

One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

The Lord detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please him.

Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and false scales are not good.

The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.

An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

‘But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.’

But you have eyes and heart
only for your dishonest gain,
for shedding innocent blood,
and for practicing oppression and violence.”

‘“I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst.

“Behold I strike my hand at the dishonest gain that you have made, and at the blood that has been in your midst.

Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain.

Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain.

By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.

By the multitude of your iniquities,
in the unrighteousness of your trade
you profaned your sanctuaries;
so I brought fire out from your midst;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
in the sight of all who saw you.

The merchant uses dishonest scales
and loves to defraud.

A merchant, in whose hands are false balances,
he loves to oppress.

saying,

‘When will the New Moon be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market wheat?’ –
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating with dishonest scales,

saying, “When will the new moon be over,
that we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great
and deal deceitfully with false balances,

Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,
with a bag of false weights?

Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales
and with a bag of deceitful weights?

‘The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.

‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued not addicted to much wine not greedy for dishonest gain.

Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless – not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.

For an overseer as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach – and that for the sake of dishonest gain.

They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;

shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;