This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that {were} round about them, {concerning} whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth {his} conversation {aright} will I shew the salvation of God. {that...: Heb. that disposeth his way}

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: {and} they walked in their own counsels. {unto...: or, to the hardness of their hearts, or, imagination}

But ye {are} a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: {peculiar: or, purchased} {praises: or, virtues}

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for {thou} only {art} holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed {it} unto them. {in them: or, to them}

O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and {things} wherein {there is} no profit.

They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad. {drag: or, flue net}

Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

And even as they did not like to retain God in {their} knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; {to retain: or, to acknowledge} {a reprobate...: or, a mind void of judgment or, an unapproving mind}

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Every man is brutish in {his} knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image {is} falsehood, and {there is} no breath in them. {brutish in his knowledge: or, more brutish than to know}

For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, {which} they prepared for Baal. {wine: Heb. new wine} {which...: or, wherewith they made Baal}

To open their eyes, {and} to turn {them} from darkness to light, and {from} the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

For the customs of the people {are} vain: for {one} cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. {customs...: Heb. statutes, or, ordinances are vanity}

They that make a graven image {are} all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they {are} their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. {delectable: Heb. desirable}

And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save {thee}.

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, {as} silver and gold, from your vain conversation {received} by tradition from your fathers;

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man {was} great in the earth, and {that} every imagination of the thoughts of his heart {was} only evil continually. {every...: or, the whole imagination: the Hebrew word signifieth not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires} {continually: Heb. every day}

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart {is} evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. {a sweet...: Heb. a savour of rest or, satisfaction} {for the imagination: or, through the imagination}

Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

And that the Gentiles might glorify God for {his} mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.

They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; {and} their hearts, that they cannot understand. {shut: Heb. daubed}

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; {imaginations: or, reasonings}

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

And even as they did not like to retain God in {their} knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; {to retain: or, to acknowledge} {a reprobate...: or, a mind void of judgment or, an unapproving mind}

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. {rudiments: or, elements} {make a prey: or, seduce you, or, lead you astray}

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. {have...: or, consent with}

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, {as} silver and gold, from your vain conversation {received} by tradition from your fathers;

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: {blindness: or, hardness}

[To the chief Musician, {A Psalm} of David.] The fool hath said in his heart, {There is} no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, {there is} none that doeth good.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are {these}; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where {are} the nine?

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

For the customs of the people {are} vain: for {one} cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. {customs...: Heb. statutes, or, ordinances are vanity}

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

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:

Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass {yourselves} about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks {that} ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they {are} vanity.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, {and} not out of the mouth of the LORD.

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

Now the sons of Eli {were} sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now {are ye} light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that {were} round about them, {concerning} whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart {is} evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. {a sweet...: Heb. a savour of rest or, satisfaction} {for the imagination: or, through the imagination}

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek {after God}: God {is} not in all his thoughts. {God is...: or, all his thoughts are, There is no God}

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: {imagination: or, stubbornness} {drunkenness...: Heb. the drunken to the thirsty}

But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them: {imagination: or, stubbornness}

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.

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath {is}, and whose {are} all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.

And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods {are} gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, {even} a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise {men} shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent {men} shall be hid. {proceed: Heb. add}

But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock {is} a doctrine of vanities. {altogether: Heb. in one, or, at once}

Though I have bound {and} strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. {have...: or, chastened}

Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people {as} they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: {my mouth...: Heb. my hand hath kissed my mouth}

For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. {imagination: or, stubbornness}

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.

Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

A scorner seeketh wisdom, and {findeth it} not: but knowledge {is} easy unto him that understandeth.

But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by {them that are} no people, {and} by a foolish nation I will anger you.

Thus they provoked {him} to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.

Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.

Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

Wherefore I gave them also statutes {that were} not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

[To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, {A Psalm} of David.] The fool hath said in his heart, {There is} no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: {there is} none that doeth good. {Maschil: or, of instruction}

Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.