Then they made their sonsand their daughterspassthrough the fire,and practiceddivinationand enchantments,and soldthemselves to doevilin the sightof the LORD,provokingHim.
"For the LORDwill strikeIsrael,as a reedis shakenin the water;and He will uprootIsraelfrom thisgoodlandwhichHe gaveto their fathers,and will scatterthem beyondthe [Euphrates] River,becausethey have madetheir Asherim,provokingthe LORDto anger.
Ahabsaidto Elijah,"Have you foundme, O my enemy?"And he answered,"I have found[you], becauseyou have soldyourself to doevilin the sightof the LORD.
Surelythere was noone like Ahabwhosoldhimself to doevilin the sightof the LORD,becauseJezebelhis wifeincitedhim.
But he walkedin the wayof the kingsof Israel,and evenmade his sonpassthrough the fire,according to the abominationsof the nationswhomthe LORDhad drivenout from beforethe sonsof Israel.
and therethey burnedincenseon allthe highplacesas the nations[did] whichthe LORDhad carriedawayto exilebeforethem; and they didevilthingsprovokingthe LORD.
and the AvvitesmadeNibhazand Tartak;and the Sepharvitesburnedtheir childrenin the fireto Adrammelechand Anammelechthe godsof Sepharvaim.
He made his sonpassthrough the fire,practicedwitchcraftand useddivination,and dealtwith mediumsand spiritists.He didmuchevilin the sightof the LORDprovoking[Him to anger].
Moreover, he burnedincensein the valleyof Ben-hinnomand burnedhis sonsin fire,according to the abominationsof the nationswhomthe LORDhad drivenout beforethe sonsof Israel.
He made his sonspassthrough the firein the valleyof Ben-hinnom;and he practicedwitchcraft,useddivination,practicedsorceryand dealtwith mediumsand spiritists.He didmuchevilin the sightof the LORD,provokingHim [to anger].
"But thesetwothingswill comeon you suddenlyin oneday:Lossof childrenand widowhood.They will comeon you in fullmeasureIn spite of your manysorceries,In spite of the greatpowerof your spells.
Thussaysthe LORD,"Whereis the certificateof divorceBy whichI have sentyour motheraway?Orto whomof My creditorsdid I sellyou? Behold,you were soldfor your iniquities,And for your transgressionsyour motherwas sentaway.
Whenthey sayto you, "Consultthe mediumsand the spiritistswho whisperand mutter,"should not a peopleconsulttheir God?[Should they] [consult] the deadon behalfof the living?
and have builtthe highplacesof Baalto burntheir sonsin the fireas burntofferingsto Baal,a thing whichI nevercommandedor spokeof, nordid it [ever] enterMy mind;
"Yet you have not listenedto Me," declaresthe LORD,"in orderthat you might provokeMe to angerwith the workof your handsto your own harm.
"But as for you, do not listento your prophets,your diviners,your dreamers,your soothsayersor your sorcererswhospeakto you, saying,'You will not servethe kingof Babylon.'
"They have builtthe highplacesof Topheth,whichis in the valleyof the sonof Hinnom,to burntheir sonsand their daughtersin the fire,whichI did not command,and it did not comeinto My mind.
"You slaughteredMy childrenand offeredthem up to idols by causing them to passthrough[the fire].
and I pronouncedthem uncleanbecause of their gifts,in that they caused alltheir firstbornto passthrough[the fire] sothat I might makethem desolate,in orderthat they might knowthat I am the LORD."'
"When you offeryour gifts,when you cause your sonsto passthrough the fire,you are defilingyourselves with allyour idolsto this day.And shall I be inquiredof by you, O houseof Israel?As I live,"declaresthe LordGOD,"I will not be inquiredof by you.
"For they have committedadultery,and bloodis on their hands.Thus they have committedadulterywith their idolsand evencaused their sons,whomthey boreto Me, to passthrough[the fire] to them as food.
"For when they had slaughteredtheir childrenfor their idols,they enteredMy sanctuaryon the samedayto profaneit; and lo,thusthey didwithinMy house.
You shall not giveanyof your offspringto offerthem to Molech,norshall you profanethe nameof your God;I am the LORD.
You shall not eat[anything] with the blood,norpracticedivinationor soothsaying.
Do not turnto mediumsor spiritists;do not seekthem out to be defiledby them. I am the LORDyour God.
"I will cutoffsorceriesfrom your hand,And you will havefortune-tellersnomore.
It happenedthat as we were goingto the place of prayer,a slave-girlhavinga spiritof divinationmetus, whowas bringingher mastersmuchprofitby fortune-telling.
For we knowthat the Lawis spiritual,but I amof flesh,soldinto bondage to sin.
Let us not becomeboastful,challengingoneanother,envyingone another.
"They madeHim jealouswith strange[gods]; With abominationsthey provokedHim to anger.
"Whenyou becomethe fatherof childrenand children'schildrenand have remainedlongin the land,and actcorruptly,and makean idolin the formof anything,and dothat whichis evilin the sightof the LORDyour God[so as] to provokeHim to anger,
