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Jeremiah 2:20
“ Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you and tore away the chains of your slavery, but still you said,‘ I will not serve you.’ On every hill and under every green tree, you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.
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James 2:5-7
Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
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Amos 4:1
Listen to me, you fat cows living in Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, and who are always calling to your husbands,“ Bring us another drink!”
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Luke 18:24
When Jesus saw this, he said,“ How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!
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Acts 4:26-27
The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’“ In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed.
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Micah 3:11
You rulers make decisions based on bribes; you priests teach God’s laws only for a price; you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim to depend on the Lord.“ No harm can come to us,” you say,“ for the Lord is here among us.”
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Ezekiel 22:6-8
“ Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls is bent on murder.Fathers and mothers are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed among you.You despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath days of rest.
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Micah 3:1-4
I said,“ Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong,but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones.Yes, you eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin, and break their bones. You chop them up like meat for the cooking pot.Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to answer? After all the evil you have done, he won’t even look at you!”
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Matthew 19:23-26
Then Jesus said to his disciples,“ I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.I’ll say it again— it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”The disciples were astounded.“ Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.Jesus looked at them intently and said,“ Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
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Jeremiah 6:13
“ From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.
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Ezekiel 22:25-29
Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They make many widows in the land.Your priests have violated my instructions and defiled my holy things. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that I am dishonored among them.Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people’s lives for money!And your prophets cover up for them by announcing false visions and making lying predictions. They say,‘ My message is from the Sovereign Lord,’ when the Lord hasn’t spoken a single word to them.Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice.
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Micah 7:3-4
Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice.Even the best of them is like a brier; the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns. But your judgment day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion.
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Zephaniah 3:3-5
Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims. Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain. Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.But the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail. But the wicked know no shame.
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Psalms 2:2-3
The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.“ Let us break their chains,” they cry,“ and free ourselves from slavery to God.”
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Malachi 2:7
“ The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
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Luke 19:14
But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say,‘ We do not want him to be our king.’