“ Friends, why are you doing this? We are only human, just like you. We are bringing you good news. Turn away from these worthless things. Turn to the living God. He is the one who made the heavens and the earth and the sea. He made everything in them.

“诸君，为什么做这事呢？我们也是人，性情和你们一样。我们传福音给你们，是叫你们离弃这些虚妄，归向那创造天、地、海，和其中万物的永生神。

“诸位，为什么做这些事呢？我们也是人，性情和你们一样。我们传福音给你们，是要你们离弃这些虚妄的事，归向那创造天、地、海和其中万物的永生的上帝。

“诸位，为什么做这些事呢？我们也是人，性情和你们一样。我们传福音给你们，是要你们离弃这些虚妄的事，归向那创造天、地、海和其中万物的永生的神。

“各位，你们为什么这样做？我们和你们一样只是凡人！我们来这里是要向你们传福音，叫你们离弃这些虚妄的事，转向那创造天、地、海和其中万物的永活上帝。

“各位，为什么这样作呢？我们也是人，性情和你们一样，我们传福音给你们，正是要你们远离这些虚妄的事，归向永活的神，就是那创造天、地、海和其中万物的神。

喊着说：“各位，你们为什么做这些事呢？我们和你们同样是人！我们向你们传福音，是要你们离弃这些虚妄的事，归向永生的神，就是造了天、地、海和其中万有的神。

「諸君，為甚麼做這事呢？我們也是人，性情和你們一樣。我們傳福音給你們，是叫你們離棄這些虛妄，歸向那創造天、地、海，和其中萬物的永生神。

「諸位，為甚麼做這些事呢？我們也是人，性情和你們一樣。我們傳福音給你們，是要你們離棄這些虛妄的事，歸向那創造天、地、海和其中萬物的永生的上帝。

「諸位，為甚麼做這些事呢？我們也是人，性情和你們一樣。我們傳福音給你們，是要你們離棄這些虛妄的事，歸向那創造天、地、海和其中萬物的永生的神。

「各位，你們為什麼這樣做？我們和你們一樣只是凡人！我們來這裡是要向你們傳福音，叫你們離棄這些虛妄的事，轉向那創造天、地、海和其中萬物的永活上帝。

“各位，為甚麼這樣作呢？我們也是人，性情和你們一樣，我們傳福音給你們，正是要你們遠離這些虛妄的事，歸向永活的神，就是那創造天、地、海和其中萬物的神。

『同人哪，你們為甚麼這樣作？我們、也是人，和你們有同樣性質，正在傳好消息給你們，好使你們離棄這些虛妄，轉向永活的上帝，就是造天、地、海、和其中萬物的。

喊著說：「各位，你們為什麼做這些事呢？我們和你們同樣是人！我們向你們傳福音，是要你們離棄這些虛妄的事，歸向永生的神，就是造了天、地、海和其中萬有的神。

諸君何行此乎、我儕亦人、與爾同情、特宣福音予爾、使去此虛妄、歸於維生上帝、即造天地海、及其中之萬有者、

呼曰、爾曹何為如此、我儕亦人、與爾同情、特傳福音與爾、使去此虛妄、歸造天地海萬物之永生上帝也、

呼曰、爾曹何為行此、我儕亦人、與爾同情、特傳福音於爾、使爾棄此虛妄、而歸造天地海及其中萬物之永生天主、

『諸君、胡為出此、吾亦猶人、稟性與爾無異；傳爾福音、正欲使爾棄絕此等荒謬之事、而歸心於手創天地瀛海萬有之天主。

“ Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.

“ Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

“ Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings— just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

“ People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.

and saying,“ Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men, of the same nature as you, preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these useless things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them.

and saying,“ Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good tidings, that ye should turn from these vain things unto a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them is:

“ Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.

And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

“ Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.

“ Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

But Peter made him get up.“ Stand up,” he said.“ I am only a man myself.”

Don’t turn away and worship statues of gods. They are useless. They can’t do you any good. They can’t save you either. They are completely useless.

Elijah was a human being, just as we are. He prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain. And it didn’t rain on the land for three and a half years.

Do any of the worthless gods of the nations bring rain? Do the skies send down showers all by themselves? No. Lord our God, you send the rain. So we put our hope in you. You are the one who does all these things.

So then, here is what I say about eating food sacrificed to statues of gods. We know that“ a god made by human hands is really nothing at all in the world.” We know that“ there is only one God.”

In a loud voice he said,“ Have respect for God. Give him glory. The hour has come for God to judge. Worship him who made the heavens and the earth. Worship him who made the sea and the springs of water.”

The believers themselves report the kind of welcome you gave us. They tell about how you turned away from statues of gods. And you turned to serve the living and true God.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

They made me jealous by serving what is not even a god. They made me angry by worshiping worthless statues of gods. I will use people who are not a nation to make them jealous. A nation that has no understanding will make them angry.

The believers heard this. Then they raised their voices together in prayer to God.“ Lord and King,” they said,“ you made the heavens, the earth and the sea. You made everything in them.

Simon Peter answered,“ You are the Messiah. You are the Son of the living God.”

“ Some people worship the worthless statues of their gods. They turn away from God’s love for them.

“ I can’t do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh.“ But God will give Pharaoh the answer he wants.”

The next day Moses saw two Israelites fighting. He tried to make peace between them.‘ Men, you are both Israelites,’ he said.‘ Why do you want to hurt each other?’

“ We are telling you the good news. What God promised our people long ago

Whoever speaks on their own does it to get personal honor. But someone who works for the honor of the one who sent him is truthful. Nothing about him is false.

Baasha and his son Elah had committed all kinds of sin. They had also caused Israel to commit the same sins. So Israel made the Lord very angry. They did it by worshiping worthless statues of gods. The Lord is the God of Israel.

Then if I have to put off my visit, you will know how people should act in God’s family. The family of God is the church of the living God. It is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

I hate those who worship worthless statues of gods. But I trust in the Lord.

I was formed a long, long time ago. I was formed at the very beginning, when the world was created.Before there were any oceans, I was born. It was before there were springs flowing with water.Before the mountains were settled in place, I was born. Before there were any hills, I was born.It happened before the Lord made the world and its fields. It was before he made the dust of the earth.I was there when he set the heavens in place. When he marked out the place where the sky meets the sea, I was there.That was when he put the clouds above. It was when he fixed the ocean springs in place.It was when he set limits for the sea so that the waters had to obey his command. When the Lord marked out the foundations of the earth, I was there.I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day. I was always happy to be with him.His whole world filled me with joy. I took delight in all human beings.

This is a prophecy. It is the Lord’ s message about Israel. The Lord spreads out the heavens. He lays the foundation of the earth. He creates the human spirit within a person. He says,

Here is what I’m telling you. I am speaking for the Lord as I warn you. You must no longer live as the Gentiles do. Their thoughts don’t have any purpose.

In six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in them. But he rested on the seventh day. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Men, continue to be brave. I have faith in God. It will happen just as he told me.

All of them are foolish. They don’t have any sense. They think they are taught by worthless wooden gods.

Listen to the cries of my people from a land far away. They cry out,“ Isn’t the Lord in Zion? Isn’t its King there anymore?” The Lord says,“ Why have they made me so angry by worshiping their wooden gods? Why have they made me angry with their worthless statues of gods from other lands?”

In fact, I’ve killed both a lion and a bear. I’ll do the same thing to this Philistine. He isn’t even circumcised. He has dared the armies of the living God to fight him.

“ Come together, you people of the nations who escaped from Babylon. Gather together and come into court. Only people who do not know anything would carry around gods that are made out of wood. They pray to false gods that can’t save them.

You will soon know that the living God is among you. He will certainly drive out the people now living in the land. He’ll do it to make room for you. He’ll drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.

Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I’m talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do.They knew God. But they didn’t honor him as God. They didn’t thank him. Their thinking became worthless. Their foolish hearts became dark.They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves.They would rather have statues of gods than the glorious God who lives forever. Their statues of gods are made to look like people, birds, animals and reptiles.

Those who make statues of gods don’t amount to anything. And the statues they think so much of are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind. They don’t know anything. So they will be put to shame.People make statues of gods. But those gods can’t do any good.

But there is a God in heaven who can explain mysteries. King Nebuchadnezzar, he has shown you what is going to happen. Here is what you dreamed while lying in bed. And here are the visions that passed through your mind.“ Your Majesty, while you were still in bed your mind was troubled. You were thinking about things that haven’t happened yet. The God who explains mysteries showed these things to you.Now the mystery has been explained to me. But it isn’t because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive. It’s because God wants you to know what the mystery means, Your Majesty. He wants you to understand what went through your mind.

Then he brought them out. He asked,“ Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Perhaps the Lord your God will hear everything the field commander has said. His master, the king of Assyria, has sent him to make fun of the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will punish him for what he has heard him say. So pray for the remaining people who are still alive here.’ ”

They lift it up on their shoulders and carry it. They set it up in its place, and there it stands. It can’t move from that spot. Someone might cry out to it. But it does not answer. It can’t save them from their troubles.

The practices of these nations are worthless. People cut a tree out of the forest. A skilled worker shapes the wood with a sharp tool.Others decorate it with silver and gold. They use a hammer to nail it to the floor. They want to keep it from falling down.The statues of their gods can’t speak. They are like scarecrows in a field of cucumbers. Their statues have to be carried around because they can’t walk. So do not be afraid of their gods. They can’t do you any harm. And they can’t do you any good either.”

“ ‘ Lord and King, you have reached out your great and powerful arm. You have made the heavens and the earth. Nothing is too hard for you.

David spoke to the men standing near him. He asked them,“ What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine? Goliath is bringing shame on Israel. What will be done for the one who removes it? This Philistine isn’t even circumcised. He dares the armies of the living God to fight him. Who does he think he is?”

“ I order people in every part of my kingdom to respect and honor Daniel’s God.“ He is the living God. He will live forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed. His rule will never end.

He lived the way Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had lived. He committed the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Israel made the Lord very angry. They did it by worshiping worthless statues of gods. The Lord is the God of Israel.

“ Men,” he said,“ I can see that our trip is going to be dangerous. The ship and everything in it will be lost. Our own lives will be in danger also.”

The Lord created the heavens. He is God. He formed the earth and made it. He set it firmly in place. He didn’t create it to be empty. Instead, he formed it for people to live on. He says,“ I am the Lord. There is no other Lord.

Listen, Lord. Hear us. Open your eyes, Lord. Look at the trouble we’re in. Listen to what Sennacherib is saying. You are the living God. And he dares to make fun of you!

But you are the only true God. You are the only living God. You are the King who rules forever. When you are angry, the earth trembles with fear. The nations can’t stand up under your anger.The Lord speaks to the Jews living in Babylon. He says,“ Here is what you must tell the people of the nations. Tell them,‘ Your gods did not make the heavens and the earth. In fact, these gods will disappear from the earth. They will vanish from under the heavens.’ ”

Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens. He was very upset to see that the city was full of statues of gods.So he went to the synagogue. There he talked both with Jews and with Greeks who worshiped God. Each day he spoke with anyone who happened to be in the market place.A group of Epicurean and Stoic thinkers began to argue with him. Some of them asked,“ What is this fellow chattering about?” Others said,“ He seems to be telling us about gods we’ve never heard of.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus. He was telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead.

The heavens were made when the Lord commanded it to happen. All the stars were created by the breath of his mouth.

Brothers and sisters, make sure that none of you has a sinful heart. Do not let an unbelieving heart turn you away from the living God.

The Father has life in himself. He has allowed the Son also to have life in himself.

Blessed are those who depend on the God of Jacob for help. Blessed are those who put their hope in the Lord their God.He is the Maker of heaven and earth and the ocean. He made everything in them. He remains faithful forever.

The Lord says,“ The people of Judah have sinned again and again. So I will judge them. They have refused to obey my law. They have not kept my rules. Other gods have led them astray. Their people of long ago worshiped those gods.

The men had not eaten for a long time. Paul stood up in front of them.“ Men,” he said,“ you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have avoided this harm and loss.

But he said to me,“ Don’t do that! I serve God, just as you do. I am God’s servant, just like the other prophets. And I serve God along with all who obey the words of this book. Worship God!”

There they continued to preach the good news.

Our help comes from the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth.

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies. They had gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.

Paul and Barnabas preached the good news in the city of Derbe. They won large numbers of followers. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch.

No one has any sense or knows anything at all. Everyone who works with gold is put to shame by his gods. The metal gods he has made are fakes. They can’t even breathe.They are worthless things that people make fun of. When the Lord judges them, they will be destroyed.

When I heard this, I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me,“ Don’t do that! I serve God, just as you do. I am God’s servant, just like believers who hold firmly to what Jesus has taught. Worship God! The Spirit of prophecy tells the truth about Jesus.”

No one even stops to think about this. No one has any sense or understanding. If anyone did, they would say,“ I used half of the wood for fuel. I even baked bread over the fire. I cooked meat. Then I ate it. Should I now make a statue of a god out of the wood that’s left over? Should I bow down to a block of wood? The Lord would hate that.”That’s as foolish as eating ashes! The mind of someone like that has led him astray. He can’t save himself. He can’t bring himself to say,“ This thing I’m holding in my right hand isn’t really a god at all.”

“ He is the God who made the world. He also made everything in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn’t live in temples built by human hands.He is not served by human hands. He doesn’t need anything. Instead, he himself gives life and breath to all people. He also gives them everything else they have.From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live.God did this so that people would seek him. And perhaps they would reach out for him and find him. They would find him even though he is not far from any of us.‘ In him we live and move and exist.’ As some of your own poets have also said,‘ We are his children.’“ Yes, we are God’s children. So we shouldn’t think that God is made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn’t a statue planned and made by clever people.In the past, God didn’t judge people for what they didn’t know. But now he commands all people everywhere to turn away from their sins.

We have heard the voice of the living God. We’ve heard him speaking out of the fire. Has any other human being ever heard him speak like that and stayed alive?

When Peter saw this, he said,“ Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us? It’s not as if we’ve made this man walk by our own power or godliness.The God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has done this. God has brought glory to Jesus, who serves him. But you handed Jesus over to be killed. Pilate had decided to let him go. But you spoke against Jesus when he was in Pilate’s court.

I will save you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to themto open their eyes. I want you to turn them from darkness to light. I want you to turn them from Satan’s power to God. I want their sins to be forgiven. They will be forgiven when they believe in me. They will have their place among God’s people.’“ So then, King Agrippa, I obeyed the vision that appeared from heaven.First I preached to people in Damascus. Then I preached in Jerusalem and in all Judea. And then I preached to the Gentiles. I told them to turn away from their sins to God. The way they live must show that they have turned away from their sins.

Then they shouted,“ This is the voice of a god. It’s not the voice of a man.”Right away an angel of the Lord struck Herod down. Herod had not given praise to God. So he was eaten by worms and died.