²⁶ And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people^[a] began to worship^[b] the Lord.

²⁹ But each of these nations made^[a] its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria^[b] had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. ³⁰ The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth,^[c] the people from Cuth made Nergal,^[d] the people from Hamath made Ashima,^{[e] 31} the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak,^[f] and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech,^[g] the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² At the same time they worshiped^[h] the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places.^{[i] 33} They were worshiping^[j] the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

²² Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem.’

¹⁷ However, the people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

Judgment of Pretenders

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’^[a] will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.