90 Verses on the Uselessness of Spells and Charms

Kol Adam is stupid in his da'as; every goldsmith is shamed by the pesel (idol); for his nesekh (molten image) is sheker, and there is no ruach in them.

They have seen shav (vanity) and kesem kazav (lying divination), saying, Hashem saith; and Hashem hath not sent them; yet they hope that their davar will be fulfilled.

Therefore, hinei, the days are coming when I will visit [in punishment] the pesalim of Bavel; and her whole land shall be shamed, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

And the shererit thereof he maketh el, even his pesel; he falleth down unto it, and boweth down in worship to it, and davens unto it, and saith, Save me; for thou art Eli!

The Bi’as Anti-Moshiach (Coming, Parousia, of Anti-Moshiach) is according to the working of Hasatan with all false ko’ach (power) and otot (signs) and pseudo moftim (wonders),And with all deception of resha (wickedness) for those who are perishing, because they were not being mekabel (receiving) the Ahavas HaEmes (Love of the Truth) so that they have the Geulah deliverance.

No one is able to serve two adonim (masters). For either he will have sinah (hatred) for the one and ahavah (love) for the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve Hashem and Mammon (Money).

The idols of the Goyim are kesef and zahav, the ma'aseh yedei adam.They have mouths, but they speak not; einayim have they, but they see not;They have oznayim, but they hear not; neither is there any ruach in their mouths.They that oseihem (make them) will be like them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

They have set up melachim, but not from Me; they have made sarim (princes), and I knew it not; of their kesef and their zahav have they made them atzabim (idols), that they may be cut off.

No, the things which they sacrifice, YIZB'CHU LASHEDIM LO ELOHIM ("They sacrificed to demons which were not G-d" DEVARIM 32:17; TEHILLIM 106:37). Now I do not want you to become sharers with the shedim (demons). [VAYIKRA 17:7; DEVARIM 32:17; TEHILLIM 106:37]

“And the ohr of a menorah would shine in you no more, and the kol (voice) of a choson (bridegroom) and of a kallah (bride) would be heard in you no more; because your merchants were the gedolim (the great) of ha'aretz (the earth), because by your kashefanut (sorcery) were all the Goyim deceived, [YIRMEYAH 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; YESHAYAH 23:8; NACHUM 3:4]

Now the Mitzrayim are adam, and not El (G-d); and their susim basar, and not ruach. When Hashem shall stretch out His yad, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is helped shall stumble, and they all shall come to an end together.

Because My people hath forgotten Me, they have burned ketoret to worthless idols, and they have caused them to stumble in their drakhim from the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, and not on the derech built up;

Now concerning the eating of the okhel (food) at the mizbe’ach of avodah zarah which is sacrificed to an elil (idol), we have da'as that an elil is nothing in the world, and that there is no G-d but ECHAD (DEVARIM 4:35, 39; 6:4).

Now a certain ish by name Shimon was previously in the city practicing magic and astonishing the people of Shomron, saying that he himself was an ish of gadlus (with remarkable superiority) and gadol.And to this certain Shimon everyone from katon to gadol was paying attention, saying, "Hinei! This man is the ko'ach (power) of Hashem, the ko'ach hagadol."And they were giving heed to him, because he for a long time had astonished them by magic tricks.

And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect; and make no mention of the shem elohim acherim, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us nekhochot (right things), speak unto us chalakot (smooth things), prophesy machatallot (deceits, illusions);

Thus saith Hashem Tzva'os, Pay no heed unto the devarim of the nevi'im that prophesy unto you; they are deluding you; they speak a chazon (vision) of their own lev, and not out of the mouth of Hashem.

But Elymas the magician was opposing them--for thus is his name translated--and was seeking to be mashpia on the proconsul (seeking to sway him to think undesirably) about the emunah (faith). [YESHAYAH 30:11]But Rav Sha’ul, the one also called Paulos, having been filled with the Ruach Hakodesh, gazed at him,and said, “O ish full of all mirmah (deceit, fraud) and all resha, ben haSatan, oyev (enemy) of all Tzedek, will you not cease making crooked the straight paths of Hashem? [HOSHEA 14:9]

They traded in HaEmes Hashem (the Truth of G-d) for sheker, for a lie, and worshiped and served HaBri’ah (the Creature, the Creation) rather than HaBo're (the Creator), hamvorach l'olamim. Omein (who is blessed forever. Amen).

I have not sent these nevi'im, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

And in Yom HaHu it shall come to pass, saith Hashem Tzva'os, that I will cut off the shmot (names) of the atzabim (idols) out of ha'aretz, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the nevi'im and the ruach hatum'ah (unclean spirit) to pass from ha'aretz.

And thou wentest to Melech [i.e., the pagan g-d Molech, the deity of sacrificed offspring and abortions]; with shemen thou didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy [political] envoys far, even down unto Sheol.

Saying to Etz (wood), Thou art Avi; and to Even (stone), Thou hast brought me forth; for they have turned their back unto Me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and hoshi'einu (save us).

But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach answered, Katuv (It is written), LO AL HALECHEM LVADOH YCHEYEH HAADAM, KI AL KOL MOTZAH FI HASHEM. (Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of Hashem, Dt 8:3).

And they served their atzabim (idols); which were a mokesh (snare) unto them.

But, formerly, when you did not have da'as (knowledge) of Hashem, you were avadim serving that which is by nature not HaEl Ha'Amiti (the true G-d).

They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in pesel, that say to the masekhah (molten images), You (plural) are eloheinu (our g-ds).

When thou criest for help, let thy [idol] kibutzim (heaps, collections) save thee; but the ruach shall carry them all away; hevel shall take them; but he that putteth his trust in Me shall inherit eretz, and shall inherit My Har Kodesh;

And it came to pass through the lightness with which she [Yisroel] took her zenut (whoredom), that she defiled HaAretz, and committed adultery with HaEven (the Stone [of the fertility cult of Ba'al worship]) and with HaEtz (the Wood [of the fertility cult of Ba'al worship]).

Shamed be all they that serve pesel, that boast themselves of elilim; worship Him, kol elohim.

They are turned back to the avonot Avotam HaRishonim, which refused to hear My words; and they went after elohim acherim to serve them; Bais Yisroel and Bais Yehudah have broken My Brit which I cut with Avotam.

Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after other g-ds; their nesakhim (drink offerings) of dahm will I not offer, nor take up their shmot (names [of idols]) on my lips.

See, they [the idols] are all aven (wickedness); their ma'asim are nothing; their molten images are ruach and tohu.

Then shall the towns of Yehudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim go, and cry out unto the elohim unto whom they offer ketoret; but they shall not save them at all in the time of their ra'ah (disaster).

Therefore, my chaverim, flee from avodah zarah.

He that slaughtereth the bull is the slayer of a man; he that sacrificeth a seh, is a strangler of dogs; he that offereth a minchah, it is dahm chazir; he that burneth incense, blesseth idols. As they have chosen their own ways, and their nefesh delighteth in their shikkutzim (abominations),

And they took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the shem of Ba’al from boker even until tzohorayim (noon), saying, O Ba’al, answer us. But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they danced [same word used in verse 21] around the mizbe'ach which had been made.And it came to pass at tzohorayim, that Eliyahu mocked them, taunting, saying, Shout with a kol gadol (loud voice); for he is a g-d; either he is meditating, or he is pursuing [something], or ki derech lo (perhaps he had to travel, he's relieving himself), or perhaps he sleepeth and must be awakened.

In view of these things, what therefore shall we say? If Hashem is for us, who is against us?

Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, The raz which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the enchanters, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;

And the rest of the Bnei Adam, the ones not killed by these makkot (plagues), did not make teshuva and turn from the ma'asim (deeds) of their hands or forsake worship of shedim (demons) and the itztzavim (idols, images, tzelamim), those of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood, which neither are able to see nor to hear nor to walk. [DEVARIM 4:28; 31:29; YIRMEYAH 1:16; MICHOH 5:13]

Thus saith Hashem, Learn not the Derech HaGoyim, and be not in awe of the otot HaShomayim; though the Goyim are in awe of them.

Keep asking and it shall be given to you; keep searching and you shall find; keep knocking and the delet shall be opened to you.

Lest thou make a brit with the inhabitants of HaAretz, and they go awhoring after eloheihem, and do sacrifice unto eloheihem, and one invite thee, and thou eat of his zevach (sacrifice, i.e., participate in his pagan worship);

They bear him upon the katef (shoulder), they carry him, and set him up in his place, and he standeth; from his makom shall he not move; yes, though one shall cry out unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his tzoros.

And he did away with hakemarim (the idol priests), whom the Melachim of Yehudah had ordained to burn ketoret in the high places in the towns of Yehudah, and in the places around Yerushalayim; them also that burned ketoret unto Ba'al, to the shemesh, and to the yarei'ach, and to the mazalot (constellations) and to all the Tzeva HaShomayim.

That annuls the otot of the baddim (liars, false prophets), and maketh kosemim (diviners, soothsayers) into madmen; that turneth back chachamim, and maketh their da'as (knowledge, science) foolishness;

For these Goyim, which thou shalt dispossess, paid heed unto soothsayers, and unto diviners; but as for thee, Hashem Eloheicha hath not suffered thee so to do.

But these two things shall overtake thee in a rega (moment), in yom echad, shechol (the loss of children), and almon (widowhood); they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy kashefanut (sorceries, witchcraft) and for the otzmah (great abundance) of thine khavarim (spells, magic, enchantments).

But Hashem is the Elohim Emes, He is the Elohim Chayyim, and the Melech Olam; at His wrath ha'aretz shall tremble, and the Goyim shall not be able to endure His indignation.Thus shall ye say unto them, The g-ds that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and min techot (from under) these heavens.

Now the ma'asei habasar are manifest, dehainu (being:) zenut (fornication), tum'ah (impurity), zimmah (licentiousness),Avodah zarah (idolatry), kashefanut (sorcery, witchcraft), eivot (enmities), merivah (strife), kinah (jealousy), rogez (anger), anochiyut (selfishness), machalokot (dissensions), kitot (sects),Tzarut ayin (envyings), shichrut (drunkenness), holelut (carousing) and things like these, of which I tell you beforehand, as I said previously, that the ones practicing such things will not receive the nachalah (inheritance) of the Malchut Hashem.

And he made bno pass through the eish, and practiced sorcery, and witchcraft, and dealt with familiar spirits [i.e., he consulted mediums] and spiritists; he wrought much rah in the eyes of Hashem, to provoke Him to anger.

Ye shall not eat any thing with the dahm; neither shall ye practice divination, nor practice sorcery.

For meri (rebellion) is as the chattat (sin) of kesem (witchcraft, soothsaying, divination), and stubbornness is as heathenish iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the Devar Hashem, He hath also rejected thee from being Melech.

For thus saith Hashem Tzva'os Elohei Yisroel: Let not your nevi'im and your kesamim that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither pay heed to your chalomot which ye cause to be dreamed.

Moreover the mediums with familiar spirits, and the yidonim (spiritists), and the terafim, and the gillulim (idols), and all the shikkutzim that were seen in Eretz Yehudah and in Yerushalayim, did Yoshiyah put away, that he might confirm the Divrei HaTorah which were written in the Sefer that Chilkiyah HaKohen found in the Beis Hashem.

And a number of the ones who had practiced kishshuf (magic, sorcery) brought together their occult sfarim and were burning them publicly; and they added up the price of these occult sfarim, and they found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces.

Therefore do not pay heed to your nevi’im, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve Melech Bavel;

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his ben or his bat to pass through the eish (i.e., be burned as an idol's offering) or kosem kesamim (a diviner of divination) or a m'onen (soothsayer, astrologer), or a m'nachesh (one who interprets omens), or a mekhashshef (witch).Or one who casts spells, or one who inquires of a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a doresh el hamesim (a consulter of the dead ones, i.e., a necromancer).For all that do these things are a to'avat Hashem; and because of these to'evot, Hashem Eloheicha is about to drive them out before thee.

And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto mediums that have familiar spirits, and unto spiritists that whisper, and that mutter: should not Am seek unto Elohav? Should they consult the mesim (dead ones) for the benefit of the chayyim (living)?

They [the idols] are upright as the tomer (palm tree], but speak not; they must needs be carried, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do rah, neither also is it in them to do tov.

[5:11] And I will cut off keshafim (witchcrafts) out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more sorcerers;

And the nefesh that turneth to Ovos (Mediums) and Yidonim (Spiritists), to go a-whoring after them, I will even set My face against that nefesh, and will cut him off from among his people.

Their atzabim (idols) are kesef and zahav, the ma'aseh (work) of the hands of adam.Peh (mouth) they have, but they speak not; einayim (eyes) have they, but they see not;Oznayim (ears) they have, but they hear not; af (nose) have they, but they smell not;They have hands, but they handle not; raglayim (feet) have they, but they walk not; neither speak they through their garon (throat).

Then Hashem said unto me, The nevi'im prophesy sheker in My Shem; I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them; they prophesy unto you a chazon sheker (false vision) and kesem (divination, pagan fortunetelling), and a worthless thing, and the delusion of their lev.

Stand now with thine khavarim (spells, magic, enchantments), and with the multitude of thy kashefanut (sorceries, witchcraft) wherein thou hast toiled from thy neurim; perhaps thou shalt be able to succeed, perhaps thou mayest cause terror.Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy etzot (counsels). Let now stand up the hovrev Shomayim (the dissectors of the heavens, astrologers), the chozim bakochavim (stargazers), the ones that predict the future by Rosh Chodesh, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

(17) Thou shalt not allow a mekhashefah (witch, sorceress) to live.

For the terafim (idols) have spoken aven (deceit, nothing), and the diviners [i.e., fortune tellers] envision sheker, and have told false chalomot (dreams); hevel is their comfort; therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a ro'eh (shepherd).

And he caused his banot to pass through the eish in the Gey Ben Hinnom; also he practiced astrology, fortunetelling, and witchcraft, and necromancy and consulted mediums and spiritists; he wrought rah in the eyes of Hashem, to provoke Him to anger.

Then Pharaoh also called the chachamim and the mechashefim: now the kharetumei Mitzrayim, they also did in like manner with their secret lore.

“Outside are the kelevim (dogs) and the mekhashfim (sorcerers, abusers of drugs; [T.N. the original language “pharmakoi” is where we derive the word for “drugs”; sorcerers often abused drugs to hallucinate or induce a passive state when they worked their magic and witchcraft; see Ga 5:20 and Rv 21:8] and the zonim (sexually immoral) and the rotzkhim (murderers) and the ovdei haelilim (idolaters) and everyone loving and practicing sheker. [DEVARIM 23:18]

Ye shall not make for you elilim or pesel or set up matzevah, neither shall ye set up even maskit (carved stone) in your land, lehishtachavot (to bow down) unto it: for I am Hashem Eloheichem.

But draw near to here, ye bnei onenah (you children of a sorceress), zera mena'ef (offspring of an adulterer) and she who plays the zonah.

And Eliyahu came unto kol haAm, and said, Ad Mosai (how long) ye be polekhim (limping ones, dancing ones) between two se'ipim (opinions)? If Hashem be HaElohim, follow after him; but if HaBa'al, then follow after him. And HaAm answered him not a word.

Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are fugitives escaped of the Goyim; they have no da'as (knowledge, rationality) that burden themselves with their etz pesel (wooden idol), the ones davening to an el lo yoshia (g-d who cannot save).

Ami (My people) consult a piece of wood, and their staff declareth unto them; for the ruach zenunim hath caused them to err, and they have played the zonah, forsaking Eloheihem.

But there were also nevi'ei sheker (false prophets) among Am Yisroel just as also there will be morei sheker among you. These false teachers will secretly bring in heretical doctrines of koferim baikkarim (deniers of fundamentals), producing machshelah (ruin), as these heretics even become meshummad, denying the Ribbono Shel Olam who redeemed them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Chaverim, do not believe every ruach. [YIRMEYAH 29:8] But test the ruchot (spirits), if they be of Hashem, because many nevi'ei sheker have gone out into the Olam Hazeh.

Thus saith Hashem: Arur (cursed) be the gever that trusteth in adam, and maketh basar his zero'a, and whose lev turneth away from Hashem.

“But for those of morech lev (cowardliness) and those without emunah (faith) and the ones having become vile and ratzchaniyot (murderers) and zonim (fornicators) and mekhashfim (sorcerers) and ovdei haelilim (idolaters) and all the shakranit (liars), their chelek [see Yn 13:8] will be in the Agam (Lake) burning with Eish (fire) and Gofrit (sulfur), which is HaMavet HaSheyni (the Second Death).” [TEHILLIM 5:6; YESHAYAH 66:24]

For meshichei sheker (false Moshiachs) will arise, and neviei sheker (false prophets), and they will give otot gedolim (great signs) and moftim (wonders), so as to deceive, if possible, even the Bechirim (Chosen ones).

If there arise among you a navi, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee an ot (sign) or a mofet (wonder),(13:3) And the ot (sign) or the mofet (wonder) come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, Let us go after elohim acherim, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;(13:4) Thou shalt not give heed unto the devarim of that navi, or that dreamer of dreams; for Hashem Eloheichem is testing you, to know whether ye love Hashem Eloheichem with all your lev and with all your nefesh.

Hineni, I am against them that prophesy chalomot sheker, saith Hashem, and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their recklessness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith Hashem.

Because ye have said, We have cut a brit with mavet, and with Sheol are we in agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made kazav our refuge, and under sheker have we hid ourselves;

(7) I hate them that are the shomrim of lying vanities [i.e., idols]; but I trust in Hashem.

Shall man make elohim unto himself and they are not Elohim?

So Sha'ul died for his ma'al (unfaithfulness) which he committed against Hashem, even against the Devar Hashem, over which he was not shomer, and also for consulting an ov (one with a familiar spirit) to seek guidance;

To the torah (teaching of G-d) and to the te'udah (recorded testimony, see verse 16); if they speak not according to Davar HaZeh, it is because there is no shachar (dawn, light) in them.

Now the Ruach HaKodesh says befeirush (explicitly) that in the acharit hayamim some will become meshummad (apostate) from the emunah [of Moshiach], giving heed to deceitful ruchot (spirits, 1Yn 4:1) and teachings of shedim,

Beware lest there be anyone of you taken captive through philosophical tevunah (wisdom) and empty deceit according to the kabbalah (oral tradition) of mere Bnei Adam, according to the ikkarim (basic principles) of the Olam Hazeh and not according to Moshiach;

They that make them will be like them; so is kol asher bote'ach (every one that trusteth) in them.