^4 (A)Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.

^6 (A)They lavish gold out of the bag,
And weigh silver on the scales;
They hire a ^(B)goldsmith, and he makes it a god;
They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.
^7 (C)They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it
And set it in its place, and it stands;
From its place it shall not move.
Though ^(D)one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer
Nor save him out of his trouble.

³ For the customs of the peoples are ^[a]futile;
For ^(A)one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
⁴ They decorate it with silver and gold;
They ^(B)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
⁵ They are upright, like a palm tree,
And ^(C)they cannot speak;
They must be ^(D)carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For ^(E)they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”

46 Bel ^(A)bows down, Nebo stoops;
Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle.
Your carriages were heavily loaded,
^(B)A burden to the weary beast.
² They stoop, they bow down together;
They could not deliver the burden,
^(C)But have themselves gone into captivity.

^19 (A)The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
²⁰ Whoever is too impoverished for such ^[a]a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
^(B)To prepare a carved image that will not totter.

²⁰ He feeds on ashes;
^(A)A deceived heart has turned him aside;
And he cannot deliver his soul,
Nor say, “Is there not a ^(B)lie in my right hand?”