Idolatry Forbidden

15 (A)“Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since (B)you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 beware (C)lest you act corruptly (D)by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, (E)the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see (F)the sun and the moon and the stars, (G)all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But the Lord has taken you and (H)brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, (I)to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day. 21 Furthermore, (J)the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I should not cross the Jordan, and that I should not enter the good land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. 22 For I must die in this land; (K)I must not go over the Jordan. But you shall go over and take possession of (L)that good land. 23 (M)Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and (N)make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24 For (O)the Lord your God is a consuming fire, (P)a jealous God.

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A Warning against Idolatry

15 “But be very careful! You did not see the Lord’s form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai. 16 So do not corrupt yourselves by making an idol in any form—whether of a man or a woman, 17 an animal on the ground, a bird in the sky, 18 a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea. 19 And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth. 20 Remember that the Lord rescued you from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt in order to make you his very own people and his special possession, which is what you are today.

21 “But the Lord was angry with me because of you. He vowed that I would not cross the Jordan River into the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession. 22 You will cross the Jordan to occupy the land, but I will not. Instead, I will die here on the east side of the river. 23 So be careful not to break the covenant the Lord your God has made with you. Do not make idols of any shape or form, for the Lord your God has forbidden this. 24 The Lord your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God.

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