97 Verses on the Risks of Occult Practices

But bewarre, yt youre hert be not disceaued, that ye go asyde, & serue other goddes, & worshipe them,

Who shulde now make a god, or fashio an Idol, that is profitable for nothinge?

Whan Asa herde these wordes, and the propheciege (of Asarias the sonne) of Obed the prophet, he toke a corage vnto him, and put awaye the abhominacions out of all ye londe of Iuda and Ben Iamin, and out of the cities that he had wonne vpon mount Ephraim: and renued the LORDES altare, which stode before the porche of the LORDE.

And therfore let them conuerte, and be ashamed earnestly, that hope in Idols, & saye to fashioned ymages: ye are oure godes.

Thou shalt make the no grauen ymage ner eny symilitude, nether of it that is aboue in heauen, ner of it that is beneth vpon earth, ner of it that is in the water vnder the earth.Worshipe them not, and serue them not: for I the LORDE thy God am a gelouse God, vysitinge ye synne of the fathers vpon the children, vnto ye thirde and fourth generacion, of them that hate me:

Yee all the customes and lawes of the Getiles are nothinge, but vanite. They hewe downe a tre in the wod with the hondes of the worke man, and fashion it with the axe:they couer it ouer with golde or syluer, they fasten it wt nales and hammers, that it moue not.It stodeth as stiff as the palme tre, it can nether speake ner go, but must be borne. Be not ye afrayed of soch, for they ca do nether good ner euel.

Babes kepe youre selues from ymages. Amen.

Yet must he be taken on mens shulders and borne, and set in his place, that he maye stonde and not moue. Alas that men shulde crie vnto him, which geueth no answere: and delyuereth not the man that calleth vpon him, from his trouble.

whether the Gentiles themselues deale so falsly & vntruly with their goddes (which yet are no goddes in dede.) But my people hath geuen ouer their hie honoure, for a thinge that maye not helpe them.

By the reason of wy?dome, all men are become fooles. Confounded be all the casters of ymages: for ye thinge that they make, is but disceate, & hath no breath.

& make thy sonnes go a whoringe after their goddes also. Thou shalt make ye no goddes of metall.

Ether, let the shewe vs thinges for to come, and tel vs what shalbe done herafter: so shal we knowe, that they be goddes. Shewe somthinge, ether good or bad, so wil we both knowlege ye same, & tel it out.

So Salomon walked after Astaroth the god of the Sidonians, and after Malcom the abhominacion of the Ammonites.

But yf they saye: wherfore doth the LORDE oure God all this vnto vs? Then answere them: because, that like as ye haue forsake me, and serued straunge goddes in youre owne londe, euen so shall ye serue other goddes also in a straunge londe.

My people axe councel at their stockes, their staffe must tell them. For an whorish mynde hath disceaued them, so yt they comitte fornicacion agaynst their God.

As for their goddes, it maye well be sayde of the: they are goddes, that made nether heaue ner earth: therfore shal they perish fro the earth, and from all thinges vnder heauen.

They offred vnto felde deuels, & not vnto their God. Vnto goddes whom they knewe not, eue vnto new goddes, yt came newly vp, whom their fathers honoured not.

Ye take youre pleasure vnder the okes, & vnder all grene trees, the childe beynge slayne in the valleys, & dennes of stone.

Into thy hondes I commende my sprete: thou hast delyuered me O LORDE thou God of treuth.

then shalt thou not worshipe their goddes, ner serue them, nether shalt thou do as they do, but shalt ouerthrowe their goddes, & breake the downe.

But first will I sufficiently rewarde their shamefull blasphemies and synnes, wherwith they haue defyled my londe: Namely, with their stinckinge Idols and abhominacions, wherwt they haue fylled myne heretage.

But thus shal ye do with them: Ye shal ouerthrowe their altares, breake downe their pilers, cut downe their groues, & burne their ymages with fyre.

for lo, the voyce of the criege of my people is herde from a farre countre: Is not the LORDE in Sion? Is not he kinge in her? Wherfore then haue they greued me (shall the LORDE saye) with their ymages and foolish straunge fashions?

As for all ye goddes of the Heithe, they be but Idols, but it is the LORDE that made the heaues.

They that made them, are like vnto them, and so are all soch as put their trust in them.

Vayne is it, & worthy to be laughed at: & in the tyme of visitacion it shal perish.

they shal also defyle the selues nomore with their abhominacions, Idols and all their wickeddoinges. I wil helpe the out of all their dwellinge places, wherin they haue synned: & will so clense them, that they shalbe my people, and I their God.

The shal the townes off Iuda and the citisens of Ierusalem go, and call vpon their goddes, vnto whom they made their oblacios: but they are not able to helpe them in tyme off their trouble.

So are we sure now cocernynge the meates offred vnto Idols, that an Idoll is nothinge in the worlde, and that there is none other God but one.

He wil not be afrayed for eny euell tydinges, his herte stondeth fast, & beleueth in ye LORDE.

And where as Ephraim is become partaker of Idols, wel, let him go.

But the LORDE hath geuen a commaundement cocernynge the, that there shall come nomore sede of thy name. The carued and casten ymages will I rote out of the house of thy god. Thy graue shal I prepare for the, and thou shalt be confounded.

I wil take no wicked thinge in honde, I hate the synne of vnfaithfulnesse, it shal not cleue vnto me.

and go not asyde after vanite, for it profyteth you nothinge, and can not delyuer you, in so moch as it is but a vayne thinge.

And the remnaunt of the me which were not kylled by these plages, repeted not of the dedes of their hondes, yt they shulde not worshippe deuels, and ymages of golde, and syluer, and brasse, & stone, and of wod, which nether can se, nether heare, nether

Come hither therfore ye charmers children, ye sonnes of the aduoutrer & the whore:

The kepinge of dust, and folishnesse of herte hath turned them a syde: so that none of them can haue a fre conscience to thinke: maye not I erre?

And he toke the calfe that they had made, and brent it with fyre, and stamped it vnto poulder, and strowed it in the water, & gaue it vnto the children of Israel to drynke,

Let the be gathered & come together, let the drawe nye hyther, yt are escaped of the people: Haue they eny vnderstondinge, that set vp the stockes of their Idols, and praye vnto a god, that ca not helpe the?

The vayne craftes men with their workes, that they in their vanite haue made, shall perish one with another in the tyme of visitacion.

But turned their backes and fell awaye like their forefathers, startinge asyde like a broken bowe.

Neuertheles I haue euer sence the begynnynge shewed the of thinges for to come, and declared the vnto the, or euer they came to passe: that thou shuldest not saye: myne Idol hath done it, my carued or cast ymage hath shewed it.

They made a calfe in Horeb, and worshipped the molte ymage.Thus they turned his glory into the similitude of a calfe, yt eateth haye.

Thou wentest straight to kinges with oyle & dyuerse oyntmentes (that is) thou hast sent thy messaungers farre of, and yet art thou fallen in to the pyt therby.

and layed agaynst the Sonne, the Moone and all the heauenly hooste: whom they loued, whom they serued, whom they ranne after, whom they sought & worshipped. They shal nether be gathered together ner buried, but shal lye vpo the earth, to their shame and despisinge.

Then stepte Elias vnto all the people, & sayde: How longe halte ye on both ye sydes? Yf the LORDE be God, the walke after him: but yf Baal be he, the folowe him. And the people gaue him no answere.

Confounded be ye, and put to dishonoure: go hence together with shame, all ye that be workmasters of erroure: (that is worshippers of Idols)

Knowe ye not that ye vnrighteous shal not inheret the kyngdome of God? Be not disceaued. Nether whoremongers, ner worshippers off ymages, ner breakers off wedlocke, ner weaklinges, nether abusers of them selues with mankynde,ner theues, nether the couetous, ner drokardes, ner cursed speakers, ner extorcioners shal inheret the kyngdome of God.

Wherfore my dearly beloued, fle from worshippinge of Idols.

Ye shal not turne yor selues to ye Soythsayers, and axe nothinge at the expounders of tokes, that ye be not defyled by them: for I am the LORDE youre God.

Yf there ryse vp a prophet or dreamer amonge you, and geue the a token or a wonder,and that token or wonder which he spake of, come to passe, and then saye: Let vs go after other goddes (whom thou knowest not) and let vs serue the:Thou shalt not herken vnto the wordes of soch a prophet or dreamer. For ye LORDE youre God proueth you, to wete whether ye loue him with all youre hert, & with all youre soule.

For without are dogges and inchaunters and whormongers, and mortherers, and ydolaters, and whosoeuer loueth or maketh lesinges.

It fortuned whan we wente to prayer, yt there met vs a damsel, which had a sprete of soythsayenge, and broughte hir master and mastresse greate vauntage with soyth sayenge:ye same folowed Paul and vs, and cryed, and sayde: These men are the seruauntes of the most hye God, which shewe vs ye waye of saluacion.This dyd she many dayes. But Paul was not content with it, and turned him aboute, and sayde vnto the sprete: I comaunde the in the name of Iesu Christ, that thou departe out of her. And he departed out at the same houre.

The sprete speaketh euydently, that in ye latter tymes some shal departe from the faith, and shal geue hede vnto spretes of erroure, and deuelish doctrynes, of them

And the LORDE sayde vnto me: The prophetes preach lies vnto them in my name. I haue not spoken with them, nether gaue I them eny charge, nether dyd I sende the: yet they preach vnto you false visions, charmynge, vanite, and disceatfulnesse of their owne herte.

Nay. But this I saye, that loke what the Heythen offre, that offre they vnto deuels, and not vnto God. Now wolde I not that ye shulde be in the fellishippe of deuels.Ye can not drynke of the cuppe of the LORDE and of the cuppe of the deuels. Ye can not be partakers of the LORDES table, and of the table of deuels.

For these nacios whom thou shalt conquere, whom the LORDE thy God hath geuen the, herken to the chosers out of dayes, and to the soythsayers: but so shalt not thou do vnto the LORDE thy God.

For disobedience is as ye synne of witchcrafte, and rebellion is as the blasphemy of Idolatrye. In so moch now as thou hast refused the worde of the LORDE, he hath refused the also, that thou shuldest not be kynge.

Bvt there were false prophetes also amonge the people, euen as there shalbe false teachers amonge you likewyse, which preuely shal brynge in damnable sectes, euen denyenge the LORDE that hath boughte them, and shal brynge vpon them selues swift damnacio

For there shal aryse false Christes and false prophetes, and shal do greate tokes and wonders: In so moch, that (yf it were possible) the very chosen shulde be brought in to erroure.

And Iosias expelled all soythsayers, expounders of tokes, ymages and Idols, and all the abhominacions which were sene in the londe of Iuda and at Ierusalem, that he mighte set vp the wordes of the lawe, which were wrytten in the boke, that Helchias ye prest foude in the house of ye LORDE.

The dedes of ye flesh are manifest, which are these: Aduoutrye, whordome, vnclenes, wantanes,Idolatrye, witchcraft, hatred, variaunce, zele, wrath, stryfe, sedicion, sectes,

that there be not founde amonge you, yt maketh his sonne or doughter go thorow the fyre, or a prophecier, or a choser out of dayes, or that regardeth the foules cryenge,or a witch, or a coniurer, or soythsayer, or an expounder of tokens, or yt axeth eny thinge of the deed.For who so euer doth soch, is abhominacion vnto the LORDE: and because of soch abhominacions doth the LORDE yi God dryue the out before the.

If eny soule turne him to ye soythsayers and expounders of tokens, so that he goeth a whorynge after them, I wyl set my face agaynst the same soule, and wyl rote him out from amonge his people.

And therfore yf they saye vnto you: aske councel at the soythsayers, witches, charmers and coniurers, then make them this answere: Is there a people enywhere, that axeth not councel at his God: whether it be concernynge the dead, or the lyuynge?

The sayde Saul vnto his seruauntes: Seke me a woma which hath a sprete of soythsayege, that I maye go vnto her, and axe at her. His seruauntes sayde vnto him: Beholde, at Endor is there a woman, which hath a sprete of soythsayenge.

And caused his sonne to go thorow the fyre, and regarded byrdes cryenge and tokens, and maynteyned soythsayers, and expounders of tokens, and so moch dyd he of this which was euell in the sight of the LORDE, that he prouoked him vnto wrath.

And in the valley of the sonne of Hennon caused he his awne sonnes to go thorow the fyre, and chosed dayes, & regarded byrdescryenge, and witches, and founded soythsayers and expounders of tokens, and dyd moch that was euell in the sighte of the LORDE to prouoke him vnto wrath.

Yf a man or woman be a soythsayer or an expounder of tokens, the same shall dye the death: they shalbe stoned, their bloude be vpon them.

Thou hast hither to had many councels of them, so let the heauengasers & the beholders of starres, come on now and delyuer the: yee and let the shewe, when these new thinges shall come vpon the.

And therfore, folowe not youre prophetes, soythsayers, expounders of dreames, charmers & witches, which saye vnto you: ye shal not serue the kinge of Babilon.

All witchcraftes will I rote out of thyne hande, there shall no mo soythsayenges be within the.

Vayne thinges they se, & tell lies, to mayntene their preachinges withall. The LORDE (saye they) hath spoke it, when in very dede the LORDE hath not sent them.

But many of them that had vsed curious craftes, broughte the bokes together, and burnte them openly: and they counted the pryce of them, and founde it of money fiftye thousande pens.

Thus saieth the LORDE: Ye shal not lerne after the maner of the Heithe, and ye shal not be afrayed for the tokens of heauen: for the Heithen are afrayed of soch:

therfore shall ye spie out nomore vanyte, ner prophecie youre owne gessinges: for I wil delyuer my people out of youre honde, that ye maye knowe, how that I am the LORDE.

Then the Sorcerer Elimas (for so was his name by interpretacion) withstode the, and soughte to turne awaye the ruler fro the faith.But Saul which is also called Paul, beynge full of the holy goost, loked vpon him,and sayde: O thou childe of the deuell, full of all futtyltie and all disceatfulnesse, and enemye of all righteousnes, thou ceassest not to peruerte the straight wayes of ye LORDE.

And yet both these thiges shal come to the vpo one daye in the twincklinge of an eye: Namely, wyddowhead, and desolacion. They shal mightely fall vpon the, for ye multitude of thy witches, and for the greate heape of thy coniurers.

Beware of false Prophetes, which come to you in shepes clothinge, but inwardly they are rauenynge wolues,

For thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: Let not those prophetes and soythsaiers yt be amonge you, disceaue you: & beleue not youre owne dreames.

And I sawe thre vncleane spretes kike frogges come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out off the mouth off the beest, and out off the mouth of the false prophet.For they are the spretes of deuels workynge myracles, to go out vnto the kynges of the earth and of the whole worlde, to gaddre them to the battayle of that gret daye of God allmighty.

yt thou lifte not vp thine eyes towarde heauen, and se the Sonne and the Moone & the starres, and the whole hoost of heaue, and be disceaused, and worsh ppe, and serue them: which the LORDE yi God hath made to serue all nacios vnder ye whole heaue.

Morouer yf ye destroye the syluer workes of youre Idols, and cast awaye the golden coapes that ye deckt them withall (as fylthynes) and saie, get you hence:

Thou shalt haue none other Goddes in my sight.

Now go to thy coniurers, and to the multitude of thy witches, (whom thou hast bene acquanted withal from thi youth) yf they maye helpe the, or strengthe the.

Then shall the vision seers be ashamed, & ye saythsayers confounded: yee they shalbe fayne (all the packe of the) to stoppe their mouthes, for they haue not Gods worde.

Dearly beleued, beleue not ye euery sprete, but proue the spretes, whether they be of God. For many false prophetes are gone out in to the worlde.

But thou art scatred abrode with thy people (o house of Iacob) for ye go farre beyonde yor fathers, whether it be in Sorcerers) whom ye haue as the phylistynes had) or in calkers of mens byrthes, wherof ye haue to many.

In so moch that they worshipped their ymages, which turned to their owne decaye.Yee they offred their sonnes & their doughters vnto deuels.

, that darre prophecy lies, and disceaue my people with their vanities and miracles, whom I neuer sent, ner commaunded them. They shal do this people greate harme, saieth the LORDE.

Thus dyed Saul in his trespace which he commytted agaynst the LORDE, because he kepte not the worde of the LORDE: & because he axed councell at the soythsayer,

And that is no maruell: for Sathan himfelfe is chaunged in to ye fashion of an angell of light.

I destroye the tokens of witches, and make the Sothsayers go wronge. As for the wise, I turne them bacward, and make their conninge folishnesse.

But the fearefull and vnbeleuynge, and the abhominable, and murthurers, and whormongers, and sorcerers, and ydolaters, & all lyars, shal haue their parte in the lake, that burneth with fyre and brymstone, which is the seconde death.

For they preach you lies, to bringe you farre from youre londe, & that I might cast you out, & destroye you.

Yf eny man want light, let him loke vpon the lawe and the testimony, whether they speake not after this meanynge.

Ye shal not turne youre selues vnto Idols, & ye shal make you no goddes of metall: for I am the LORDE youre God.