³ You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes.^(A)

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)

²⁴ you shall not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices, but you shall utterly demolish them and break their pillars in pieces.^(A)

⁷ And I said to them, “Cast away the detestable things on which your eyes feast, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”^{(A) 8} But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; not one of them cast away the detestable things on which their eyes feasted, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.^(B)

² so as to live for the rest of your time in the flesh no longer by human desires but by the will of God.^{(A) 3} You have already spent enough time in doing what the gentiles like to do, living in debauchery, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.^{(B) 4} They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme.^[a](C)

⁸ She did not give up her prostitutions that she had practiced since Egypt, for in her youth men had lain with her and fondled her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her.^(A)

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)

⁷ Therefore do not be associated with them, ⁸ for once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light,^{(A) 9} for the fruit of the light^[a] is found in all that is good and right and true. ¹⁰ Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them.^(B)

² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[a](A)

² Thus says the Lord: