What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things?

雕刻的偶像，人将它刻出来，有什么益处呢？铸造的偶像就是虚谎的师傅。制造者倚靠这哑巴偶像有什么益处呢？

偶像有什么益处呢？制造者雕刻它，铸成偶像，作虚假的教师；制造者倚靠的是自己所做的哑巴偶像。

偶像有什么益处呢？制造者雕刻它，铸成偶像，作虚假的教师；制造者倚靠的是自己所做的哑巴偶像。

“雕刻的偶像有什么益处？骗人的铸像有什么用处？制造者竟信靠自己造的哑巴偶像！

雕刻的像有什么用处呢？不过是匠人雕刻出来的；铸造的像、虚假的教师，有什么用处呢？匠人竟倚靠自己所做，那不能说话的假神。

雕刻的偶像，人將它刻出來，有甚麼益處呢？鑄造的偶像就是虛謊的師傅。製造者倚靠這啞巴偶像有甚麼益處呢？

偶像有甚麼益處呢？製造者雕刻它，鑄成偶像，作虛假的教師；製造者倚靠的是自己所做的啞巴偶像。

偶像有甚麼益處呢？製造者雕刻它，鑄成偶像，作虛假的教師；製造者倚靠的是自己所做的啞巴偶像。

「雕刻的偶像有什麼益處？騙人的鑄像有什麼用處？製造者竟信靠自己造的啞巴偶像！

雕刻的像有甚麼用處呢？不過是匠人雕刻出來的；鑄造的像、虛假的教師，有甚麼用處呢？匠人竟倚靠自己所做，那不能說話的假神。

雕刻的偶像、塑造它的將它刻成、有甚麼益處？鑄造的偶像、虛假的導師、塑造它的將它塑成、造座啞巴神像去倚靠它、有甚麼益處？

工師雕像、於製造者何益之有、鑄偶乃偽師、製造者恃此喑啞之像、何益之有、

工人雕木偶、鑄金像、俱屬虛偽、口不能言、作之者亦賴之、何益之有、

工人雕刻之偶像、何益之有、鑄像與偽師、偽師或作述虛誑之師何益之有、工人作不能言之偶像、賴己所作者、何益之有、或作工人所雕刻之偶像所鎔鑄之偶像虛偽不能應所作之偶像口不能言作之者賴之何益之有

“ Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.

“ If someone carves a statue of a god, what is it worth? What value is there in a god that teaches lies? The one who trusts in this kind of god worships his own creation. He makes statues of gods that can’t speak.

“ What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!

“ What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation— a god that can’t even talk!

What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it? It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies. For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes worthless idols that cannot speak.

“ What benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it, Or a cast metal image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.

“ What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?

What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he that fashioneth its form trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it? It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies. For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes idols that cannot speak.

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

“ What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols?

The people of those nations are both stupid and foolish. Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless!

Those who trust in idols will turn back and be utterly humiliated, those who say to metal images,‘ You are our gods.’”

All who form idols are nothing; the things in which they delight are worthless. Their witnesses cannot see; they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.Who forms a god and casts an idol that will prove worthless?

The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold, they are man-made.They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see,and ears, but cannot hear. Indeed, they cannot breathe.Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.

Their idols are made of silver and gold– they are man-made.They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see,ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell,hands, but cannot touch, feet, but cannot walk. They cannot even clear their throats.Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.

For the household gods have spoken wickedness, the soothsayers have seen a lie, and as for the dreamers, they have disclosed emptiness and give comfort in vain. Therefore the people set out like sheep and become scattered because they have no shepherd.

You know that when you were pagans you were often led astray by speechless idols, however you were led.

They will all be ashamed and embarrassed; those who fashion idols will all be humiliated.

They say to a wooden idol,‘ You are my father.’ They say to a stone image,‘ You gave birth to me.’ Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. Yet when they are in trouble, they say,‘ Come and save us!’But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them save you when you are in trouble. The sad fact is that you have as many gods as you have towns, Judah.

One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.

Bel kneels down, Nebo bends low. Their images weigh down animals and beasts. Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals.Together they bend low and kneel down; they are unable to rescue the images; they themselves head off into captivity.

All these idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made. For the image he forges is merely a sham. There is no breath in any of those idols.They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked. When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.

The powerful will be like a thread of yarn, their deeds like a spark; both will burn together, and no one will put out the fire.

Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.

Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but was speaking like a dragon.He exercised all the ruling authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed.He performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven in front of peopleand, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived.The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

He cuts down cedars and acquires a cypress or an oak. He gets trees from the forest; he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow.A man uses it to make a fire; he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.Half of it he burns in the fire– over that half he cooks meat; he roasts a meal and fills himself. Yes, he warms himself and says,‘ Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it, saying,‘ Rescue me, for you are my god!’They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern.No one thinks to himself, nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:‘ I burned half of it in the fire– yes, I baked bread over the coals; I roasted meat and ate it. With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol? Should I bow down to dry wood?’He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say,‘ Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’

Gather together and come! Approach together, you refugees from the nations! Those who carry wooden idols know nothing, those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.

So what benefit did you then reap from those things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death.

For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools.He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over.Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.”

and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four- footed animals or reptiles.Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf– signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.

The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders,and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.

“ Announce the news among the nations! Proclaim it! Signal for people to pay attention! Declare the news! Do not hide it! Say:‘ Babylon will be captured. Bel will be put to shame. Marduk will be dismayed. Babylon’s idols will be put to shame. Her disgusting images will be dismayed.

Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings,influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.

Those who empty out gold from a purse and weigh out silver on the scale hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god. They then bow down and worship it.They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress.Remember this, so you can be brave! Think about it, you rebels!