³ He too followed^(A) the ways of the house of Ahab,^(B) for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly.

¹² What if my father touches me?^(A) I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse^(B) on myself rather than a blessing.”

¹³ His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me.^(C) Just do what I say;^(D) go and get them for me.”

¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him?^(A) You be the judges!

⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted ¹⁰ and had John beheaded^(A) in the prison. ¹¹ His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.^(A)

¹⁵ Has not the one God made you?^(A) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.^[a](B) So be on your guard,^(C) and do not be unfaithful^(D) to the wife of your youth.

²³ Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married^(A) women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.^{(B) 24} Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language^(C) of Judah. ²⁵ I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath^(D) in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.^{(E) 26} Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him.^(F) He was loved by his God,^(G) and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.^{(H) 27} Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying^(I) foreign women?”

⁴ So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels^[a] of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol.^(A) And it was put in Micah’s house.

⁵ Now this man Micah had a shrine,^(B) and he made an ephod^(C) and some household gods^(D) and installed^(E) one of his sons as his priest.^(F)

⁶ If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices^(A) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”^(B) (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, ⁷ gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), ⁸ do not yield^(C) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.^(D) Do not spare them or shield them. ⁹ You must certainly put them to death.^(E) Your hand^(F) must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. ¹⁰ Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away^(G) from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.