⁴ You shall not serve the Lord your God in such ways.

²³ You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.^(A)

¹⁸ so that they may not teach you to do all the abhorrent things that they do for their gods and you thus sin against the Lord your God.^(A)

Forbidden Forms of Worship

²¹ “You shall not plant any tree as a sacred pole^[a] beside the altar that you make for the Lord your God,^{(A) 22} nor shall you set up a stone pillar—things that the Lord your God hates.

³⁰ take care that you are not snared into imitating them, after they have been destroyed before you; do not inquire concerning their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also want to do the same.’ ³¹ You must not do the same for the Lord your God, because every abhorrent thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods. They would even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.^(A)