1 Samuel 12:21

New International Reader's Version

Don’t turn away and worship statues of gods. They are useless. They can’t do you any good. They can’t save you either. They are completely useless.

Cross References

2 Kings 17:15

They refused to obey his rules. They broke the covenant he had made with them. They didn’t pay any attention to the rules he had warned them to keep. They worshiped worthless statues of gods. Then they themselves became worthless. They followed the example of the nations around them. They did it even though the Lord had ordered them not to. He had said, “Do not do as they do.”

Isaiah 41:29

So they are not really gods at all. What they do does not amount to anything. They are as useless as wind.

Isaiah 45:20

“Come together, you people of the nations who escaped from Babylon. Gather together and come into court. Only people who do not know anything would carry around gods that are made out of wood. They pray to false gods that can’t save them.

Isaiah 46:7

They lift it up on their shoulders and carry it. They set it up in its place, and there it stands. It can’t move from that spot. Someone might cry out to it. But it does not answer. It can’t save them from their troubles.

Jeremiah 10:15

They are worthless things that people make fun of. When the Lord judges them, they will be destroyed.

Jeremiah 10:8

All of them are foolish. They don’t have any sense. They think they are taught by worthless wooden gods.

Jeremiah 14:22

Do any of the worthless gods of the nations bring rain? Do the skies send down showers all by themselves? No. Lord our God, you send the rain. So we put our hope in you. You are the one who does all these things.

Jeremiah 16:19

Lord, you give me strength. You are like a fort to me. When I’m in trouble, I go to you for safety. The nations will come to you from one end of the earth to the other. They will gather together and say, “Our people of long ago didn’t own anything except statues of gods. The statues were worthless. They didn’t do them any good.

Jeremiah 2:13

“My people have sinned twice. They have deserted me, even though I am the spring of water that gives life. And they have dug their own wells. But those wells are broken. They can’t hold any water.

Jeremiah 2:5

The Lord says, “What did your people of long ago find wrong with me? Why did they wander so far away from me? They worshiped worthless statues of gods. Then they themselves became worthless.

Jonah 2:8

“Some people worship the worthless statues of their gods. They turn away from God’s love for them.

Jonah 2:9

But I will sacrifice a thank offering to you. And I will shout with thankful praise. I will do what I have promised. I will say, ‘Lord, you are the one who saves.’ ”

Habakkuk 2:18

“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.

Acts 14:15

“Friends, why are you doing this? We are only human, just like you. We are bringing you good news. Turn away from these worthless things. Turn to the living God. He is the one who made the heavens and the earth and the sea. He made everything in them.

1 Corinthians 8:4

So then, here is what I say about eating food sacrificed to statues of gods. We know that “a god made by human hands is really nothing at all in the world.” We know that “there is only one God.”

Deuteronomy 11:16

But be careful. Don’t let anyone tempt you to do something wrong. Don’t turn away and worship other gods. Don’t bow down to them.

Deuteronomy 30:17

Don’t let your hearts turn away from the Lord. Instead, obey him. Don’t let yourselves be drawn away to other gods. And don’t bow down to them and worship them.

Deuteronomy 32:21

They made me jealous by serving what is not even a god. They made me angry by worshiping worthless statues of gods. I will use people who are not a nation to make them jealous. A nation that has no understanding will make them angry.