Then Jacob
said
unto his household,
and
to all
that were with him,
Put
away the strange gods
that are among you,
and be clean,
and change
your garments:
Thou shalt have
no other gods
before me.
Thou shalt not make
unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness
of any thing
that is
in heaven above,
or that is
in the earth
beneath,
or that is
in the water
under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow
down thyself
to them,
nor serve them:
for I
the LORD thy God
am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity
of the fathers
upon the children
unto the third
and fourth generation
of them that hate me;
Ye shall not make
with me gods
of silver,
neither shall
ye make
unto you gods
of gold.
And
in all things that
I have said
unto you
be circumspect:
and make no
mention
of the name
of other gods,
neither let it
be heard
out of thy mouth.
And
he received them
at their hand,
and fashioned
it with a graving tool,
after he
had made it
a molten calf:
and they said,
These
be
thy gods,
O Israel,
which brought thee up
out of the land
of Egypt.
Turn
ye not unto idols,
nor make
to yourselves molten gods:
I am the LORD
your God.
Ye shall make you
no idols
nor graven image,
neither rear you
up a standing image,
neither shall
ye set up any image
of stone
in your land,
to bow down
unto it:
for I
am the LORD
your God.
Lest
ye corrupt yourselves,
and make you
a graven image,
the similitude
of any figure,
the likeness
of male
or female,
And lest
thou lift
up thine
eyes unto heaven,
and
when
thou seest the sun,
and the moon,
and the stars,
even all
the host
of heaven,
shouldest be driven
to worship them,
and serve them,
which the LORD thy God
hath divided
unto all nations
under the whole heaven.
And there
ye shall serve gods,
the work
of men's hands,
wood and stone,
which neither see,
nor hear,
nor eat,
nor smell.
Cursed
be the man
that maketh any graven
or molten image,
an abomination
unto the LORD,
the work
of the hands
of the craftsman,
and putteth
it in a secret place.
And all
the people
shall answer
and say,
Amen.
For rebellion
is as the sin
of witchcraft,
and stubbornness
is as iniquity
and idolatry.
Because
thou hast rejected
the word
of the LORD,
he hath also rejected thee
from being king.
He removed
the high places,
and brake
the images,
and cut down
the groves,
and brake
in pieces
the brasen serpent that Moses
had made:
for unto those days
the children
of Israel
did burn
incense to it:
and
he called
it Nehushtan.
Their idols
are silver
and gold,
the work
of men's hands.
They have mouths,
but
they speak not:
eyes have they,
but
they see not:
They shall be turned back,
they shall be greatly ashamed,
that trust
in graven images,
that say
to the molten images,
Ye are our gods.
Assemble yourselves
and come;
draw near together,
ye that
are escaped
of the nations:
they have
no knowledge that set up
the wood
of their graven image,
and pray
unto a god
that cannot save.
Thou
art wearied
in the multitude
of thy counsels.
Let now the astrologers,
the stargazers,
the monthly prognosticators,
stand up,
and save thee
from these things
that shall come upon thee.
Enflaming yourselves
with idols
under every green tree,
slaying the children
in the valleys
under the clifts
of the rocks?
Because
they have forsaken me,
and have estranged
this place,
and have burned
incense in it
unto other gods,
whom neither
they nor
their fathers
have known,
nor the kings
of Judah,
and have filled
this place
with the blood
of innocents;
They have built also
the high places
of Baal,
to burn their sons
with fire
for burnt offerings
unto Baal,
which I
commanded not,
nor spake it,
neither came
it into my mind:
That they
have committed
adultery,
and blood
is in their hands,
and
with their idols
have
they committed
adultery,
and have also caused
their sons,
whom
they
bare unto me,
to pass for them
through the fire,
to devour them.
That ye
abstain
from meats
offered to idols,
and from blood,
and
from things strangled,
and
from fornication:
from which
if ye
keep yourselves,
ye shall do well.
Fare ye well.
Then Paul
stood
in the midst
of Mars' hill,
and said,
Ye men of Athens,
I perceive
that in all things
ye are too superstitious.
For as I
passed by,
and beheld
your devotions,
I found an altar
with this inscription,
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Whom therefore
ye ignorantly worship,
him declare
I unto you.
Forasmuch
then as we
are the offspring
of God,
we ought not
to think
that the Godhead
is like
unto gold,
or silver,
or stone,
graven
by art
and man's device.
Professing themselves
to be wise,
they became fools,
And changed
the glory
of the uncorruptible God
into an image made like
to corruptible man,
and to birds,
and fourfooted beasts,
and creeping things.
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.
Know
ye not
that the unrighteous
shall not inherit
the kingdom
of God?
Be not deceived:
neither fornicators,
nor idolaters,
nor adulterers,
nor effeminate,
nor abusers
of themselves
with mankind,
Nor thieves,
nor covetous,
nor drunkards,
nor revilers,
nor extortioners,
shall inherit
the kingdom
of God.
Now as touching things
offered
unto idols,
we know that
we all have knowledge.
Knowledge
puffeth up,
but charity edifieth.
And
if any man
think
that he
knoweth any thing,
he knoweth
nothing yet as he
ought to know.
But
if any man
love God,
the same
is known of him.
As concerning therefore
the eating
of those things
that are offered
in sacrifice
unto idols,
we know
that an idol
is nothing
in the world,
and that
there is
none other God
but one.
For though
there be
that are called gods,
whether in heaven
or in earth,
(as there be gods many,
and lords many,)
But to us
there is
but one God,
the Father,
of whom are all things,
and we in him;
and one Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom are all things,
and we by him.
Howbeit
there is not
in every man
that knowledge:
for some
with conscience
of the idol
unto this hour
eat it
as a thing
offered
unto an idol;
and their conscience
being weak
is defiled.
But meat
commendeth us not
to God:
for neither,
if we eat,
are
we the better;
neither,
if we
eat not,
are we the worse.
But take
heed lest by any
means
this liberty
of your's become
a stumblingblock
to them
that are weak.
For if any man
see thee
which hast
knowledge
sit
at meat
in the idol's temple,
shall not the conscience
of him which
is weak
be emboldened
to eat
those things
which are offered
to idols;
And through thy knowledge
shall
the weak brother perish,
for whom Christ died?
But
when ye
sin so
against the brethren,
and wound
their weak conscience,
ye sin
against Christ.
Wherefore,
if meat
make my brother
to offend,
I will eat
no flesh
while the world standeth,
lest
I make
my brother
to offend.
Neither be
ye idolaters,
as were
some of them;
as it is written,
The people
sat down
to eat and drink,
and rose up to play.
Wherefore,
my dearly beloved,
flee
from idolatry.
But I say,
that the things
which the Gentiles sacrifice,
they sacrifice
to devils,
and not to God:
and I
would not
that
ye should have fellowship
with devils.
Ye know
that ye
were Gentiles,
carried away
unto these dumb idols,
even as ye were led.
Let no man
beguile you
of your reward
in a voluntary humility
and worshipping
of angels,
intruding
into those things
which he
hath not seen,
vainly puffed up
by his fleshly mind,
For the time past
of our life
may suffice
us to have wrought
the will
of the Gentiles,
when we
walked
in lasciviousness,
lusts,
excess of wine,
revellings,
banquetings,
and abominable idolatries:
Little children,
keep yourselves
from idols.
Amen.
But
I have
a few things
against thee,
because
thou hast there them
that hold
the doctrine
of Balaam,
who taught Balac
to cast
a stumblingblock
before the children
of Israel,
to eat
things
sacrificed
unto idols,
and to commit fornication.
Notwithstanding
I have
a few things
against thee,
because
thou sufferest that woman Jezebel,
which calleth herself a prophetess,
to teach and
to seduce my servants
to commit fornication,
and to eat
things
sacrificed
unto idols.
And the rest
of the men
which were not killed
by these plagues
yet repented not
of the works
of their hands,
that they
should not worship
devils,
and idols
of gold,
and silver,
and brass,
and stone,
and of wood:
which neither
can see,
nor hear,
nor walk:
But the fearful,
and unbelieving,
and the abominable,
and murderers,
and whoremongers,
and sorcerers,
and idolaters,
and all liars,
shall have their part
in the lake
which burneth
with fire
and brimstone:
which is the second death.