13 For all people who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature,
and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know the one who exists,
nor did they recognize the artisan while paying heed to his works;^(A)
2 but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air
or the circle of the stars or turbulent water
or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.^(B)
3 If through delight in the beauty of these things people assumed them to be gods,
let them know how much better than these is their Lord,
for the author of beauty created them.^(C)
4 And if people^[a] were amazed at their power and working,
let them perceive from them
how much more powerful is the one who formed them.^(D)
5 For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.^(E)

¹⁵ In return for their foolish and wicked thoughts,
which led them astray to worship irrational serpents and worthless animals,
you sent upon them a multitude of irrational creatures to punish them,^(A)

²⁴ For they went far astray on the paths of error,
accepting as gods those animals that even their enemies^[a] despised;
they were deceived like foolish infants.^(A)
25 Therefore, as though to children who cannot reason,
you sent your judgment to mock them.
²⁶ But those who have not heeded the warning of mild rebukes
will experience the deserved judgment of God.
²⁷ For when in their suffering they became incensed
at those creatures that they had thought to be gods, being punished by means of them,
they saw and recognized as the true God the one whom they had before refused to know.
Therefore the utmost condemnation came upon them.^(B)

¹⁰ But miserable, with their hopes set on dead things, are those
who give the name “gods” to the works of human hands,
gold and silver fashioned with skill
and likenesses of animals
or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.^(A)

¹² For the idea of making idols was the beginning of sexual immorality,
and the invention of them was the corruption of life,^(A)

²⁴ they no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure,
but they either treacherously kill one another or grieve one another by adultery,
²⁵ and all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury,^(A)
26 confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors,
defiling of souls, sexual perversion,
disorder in marriages, adultery, and debauchery.^(B)
27 For the worship of idols not to be named
is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.^(C)