But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served 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.

However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to 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 passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh— who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands— wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles— when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are not gods?

For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.

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

Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, who do not know You, And on the families who do not call on Your name; For they have eaten up Jacob, Devoured him and consumed him, And made his dwelling place desolate.

Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing?Surely all his companions would be ashamed; And the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, Let them stand up; Yet they shall fear, They shall be ashamed together.The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint.The craftsman stretches out his rule, He marks one out with chalk; He fashions it with a plane, He marks it out with the compass, And makes it like the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says,“ Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says,“ Deliver me, for you are my god!”They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,“ I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say,“ Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

And Joshua said to all the people,“ Thus says the Lord God of Israel:‘ Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.

And Pharaoh said,“ Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”

You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.

For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple.They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.”Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord( You are great, and Your name is great in might),Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.Silver is beaten into plates; It is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of the craftsman And of the hands of the metalsmith; Blue and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skillful men.But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.Thus you shall say to them:“ The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.When He utters His voice, There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:“ And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The Lord of hosts is His name.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;They have ears, but they do not hear; Nor is there any breath in their mouths.Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.

Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.

Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell;They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat.Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.

for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man— and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.