²³ He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”^(A)

¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we^[a] are the temple of the living God, as God said,

¹⁴ “Now, therefore, revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord.^(A)

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for indeed our God is a consuming fire.^(A)

Samuel as Judge

³ Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Astartes from among you. Direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”^{(A) 4} So Israel put away the Baals and the Astartes, and they served the Lord only.

¹⁵ And the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you, but deliver us this day!”^{(A) 16} So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he could no longer bear to see Israel suffer.^(B)

² So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your clothes;^{(A) 3} then come, let us go up to Bethel, that I may make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”^{(B) 4} So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak that was near Shechem.^(C)

¹⁹ What do I imply, then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, I imply that what they^[a] sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.^{(A) 21} You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.^(B)