²⁵ That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the sacred pole^[a] that is beside it^(A)

Othniel

⁷ The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord their God and serving the Baals and the Asherahs.^(A)

¹³ Rather, you shall tear down their altars, break their pillars, and cut down their sacred poles,^[a](A)

¹⁵ What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we^[a] are the temple of the living God, as God said,

³⁷ “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me,^(A)

²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.^[a](A)

Serving Two Masters

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.^[a](A)

²¹ Elijah then came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word.^(A)

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge;^(A)