Israel is a fertile vine that brings forth its fruit. As his fruit multiplied, so his altars increased; as his land prospered, so he improved his pillars.
For according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. And according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense to Baal.
For the Lord of Hosts, who planted you, has pronounced disaster against you, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.
But where are your gods that you have made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah.
In Gilead there is iniquity; surely they will come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, so their altars will be like stone heaps in the furrows of the fields.
Though he be fruitful among his brothers, the east wind will come, a wind of the Lord, rising from the wilderness. And his spring shall become dry, his fountain shall be dried up. It shall plunder his treasury of every desirable thing.
And now they continue sinning and have made a cast image for themselves, idols of their silver, according to their understanding; all of them the work of craftsmen. They say of them, “Those who sacrifice are kissing calves!”
For the Israelites will remain many days without a king and without a prince, without a sacrifice and without a standing stone, and without an ephod and teraphim.
They set up kings, but not through Me; they made princes, but I did not know it. With their silver and gold, they made idols, so that they will be cut off.
You shall not make for yourselves idols; neither set up a carved image nor a standing stone, nor shall you set up any sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.
So from now on we do not regard anyone according to the flesh. Yes, though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we do not regard Him as such from now on.