backstabbing

¹⁰For even the man of my peace, in whom I hoped, who ate my bread, has greatly supplanted me.

⁵A false witness shall not go unpunished. And whoever speaks lies will not escape.

²⁸A perverse man stirs up lawsuits. And one who is verbose divides leaders.

¹⁴Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the leaders of the priests, ¹⁵and he said to them, “What are you willing to give me, if I hand him over to you?” So they appointed thirty pieces of silver for him. ¹⁶And from then on, he sought an opportunity to betray him.

¹³For if my enemy had spoken evil about me, certainly, I would have sustained it. And if he who hated me had been speaking great things against me, I would perhaps have hidden myself from him. ¹⁴Truly, you are a man of one mind: my leader and my acquaintance, ¹⁵who took sweet food together with me. In the house of God, we walked side-by-side.

¹⁸A man who speaks false testimony against his neighbor is like a dart and a sword and a sharp arrow.

²⁴An enemy is known by his lips, though it is from his heart that he draws out deceit. ²⁵When he will have lowered his voice, do not believe him, for there are seven vices in his heart. ²⁶Whoever covers hatred with deceit, his malice shall be revealed in the assembly.

⁴Let each one guard himself against his neighbor, and let him have no trust in any brother of his. For every brother will utterly overthrow, and every friend will advance deceitfully.

⁴⁷While he was still speaking, behold, a crowd arrived. And he who is called Judas, one of the twelve, went ahead of them and approached Jesus, in order to kiss him. ⁴⁸And Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of man with a kiss?”

⁵Do not be willing to believe a friend. And do not be willing to confide in a commander. From her, who sleeps in your bosom, keep the doors of your mouth closed. ⁶For the son acts with contempt for the father, and the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies are those of his own household.

⁴⁴But I say to you: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you.

¹⁸I am not speaking about all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But this is so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me shall lift up his heel against me.’

¹Therefore, set aside all malice and all deceitfulness, as well as falseness and envy and every detraction. ²Like newborn infants, desire the milk of reasonableness without guile, so that by this you may increase unto salvation, ³if it is true that you have tasted that the Lord is sweet. ⁴And approaching him as if he were a living stone, rejected by men, certainly, but elect and honored by God, ⁵be also yourselves like living stones, built upon him, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, so as to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶Because of this, Scripture asserts: “Behold, I am setting in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. And whoever will have believed in him will not be confounded.”

¹⁸I am not speaking about all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But this is so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me shall lift up his heel against me.’ ¹⁹And I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it has happened, you may believe that I am. ²⁰Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives anyone whom I send, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives him who sent me.” ²¹When Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in spirit. And he bore witness by saying: “Amen, amen, I say to you, that one among you shall betray me.”

⁶Do not eat with an envious man, and do not desire his foods. ⁷For, like a seer and an interpreter of dreams, he presumes what he does not know. “Eat and drink,” he will say to you; and his mind is not with you. ⁸The foods that you had eaten, you will vomit up. And you will lose the beauty in your words.

²⁷And when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him alone to the middle of the gate, so that he might speak to him, but with deceit. And there, he stabbed him in the groin, and he died, in revenge for the blood of Asahel, his brother.

⁶The wounds of a loved one are better than the deceitful kisses of a hateful one.