¹⁶ Take care, or you will be seduced into turning away, serving other gods and worshiping them,^(A)

¹² Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

Warning to Pay Attention

2 Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

¹⁸ It may be that there is among you a man or woman or a family or tribe whose heart is already turning away from the Lord our God to serve the gods of those nations. It may be that there is among you a root sprouting poisonous and bitter growth.^(A)

²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols.^[a]

²⁶ If any think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.^(A)

Exhortation to Watch

³⁴ “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly,^(A)

²⁰ He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?”^(A)

¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you do not hear but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,