However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are not gods.

但从前你们不认识神的时候，是给那些本来不是神的作奴仆；

但从前不认识上帝的时候，你们是给那些本来不是上帝的神明作奴隶；

但从前不认识神的时候，你们是给那些本来不是神的神明作奴隶；

从前，你们不认识上帝，做那些假神的奴隶。

从前你们不认识神的时候，是给那些本来不是神的作奴仆；

从前，你们不认识神的时候，固然给那些本性上不是神的做了奴仆，

但從前你們不認識神的時候，是給那些本來不是神的作奴僕；

但從前不認識上帝的時候，你們是給那些本來不是上帝的神明作奴隸；

但從前不認識神的時候，你們是給那些本來不是神的神明作奴隸；

從前，你們不認識上帝，做那些假神的奴隸。

從前你們不認識神的時候，是給那些本來不是神的作奴僕；

但從前你們不認識上帝的時候，是給那些本性不是神的做奴僕。

從前，你們不認識神的時候，固然給那些本性上不是神的做了奴僕，

昔爾不識上帝、役於本非神者、

昔爾不識上帝、非上帝反服事之、

昔爾不識天主、所事之神、本非天主、

然曩日爾未識天主、猶為偽神所奴；

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

At one time you didn’t know God. You were slaves to gods that are really not gods at all.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.

Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so called gods that do not even exist.

But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods.

But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.

Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to them that by nature are no gods:

But in the past, when you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods.

Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.

However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods.

not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Therefore, concerning the eating of food sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.

Therefore remember that previously you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called“ Uncircumcision” by the so called“ Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

and have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but only the work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.

For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries.

Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of things that are not gods.

For they themselves report about us as to the kind of reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,

What do I mean then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?No, but I say that things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons.

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, And on the families who do not call upon Your name; For they have devoured Jacob; They have devoured him and consumed him, And have laid waste his settlement.

Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame.Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no benefit?Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.The craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of mankind, so that it may sit in a house.He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow.Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and bows down before it.Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says,“ Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”Yet the rest of it he makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says,“ Save me, for you are my god.”They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.No one remembers, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say,“ I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I bow down before a block of wood!”He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save himself, nor say,“ Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua said to all the people,“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says:‘ From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.

But Pharaoh said,“ Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”

You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.

For the customs of the peoples are futile; For it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.They decorate the idol with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not totter.They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.”There is none like You, Lord; You are great, and Your name is great in might.Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.But they are altogether stupid and foolish; The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Their clothing is of violet and purple; They are all the work of skilled people.But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. The earth quakes at His wrath, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.This is what you shall say to them:“ The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.When He utters His voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens, And He makes the clouds ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses.Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, For his cast metal images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.They are worthless, a work of mockery; At the time of their punishment they will perish.The Portion of Jacob is not like these; For He is the Maker of everything, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The Lord of armies is His name.

See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him.

The idols of the nations are nothing but silver and gold, The work of human hands.They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see;They have ears, but they do not hear, Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.Those who make them will become like them, Yes, everyone who trusts in them.

Has a nation changed gods, When they were not gods? But My people have exchanged their glory For that which is of no benefit.

Therefore, since we are the descendants of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought.So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent,

Their idols are silver and gold, The work of human hands.They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see;They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell;They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat.Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.

For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription,‘ TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, since he was the chief speaker.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper,

He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him.

and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four footed animals, and crawling creatures.