"For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

My eyes [shall be] on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me.

Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father's.

Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find [them.]

" You shall have no other gods before Me.

" You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness [of anything] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth;

"And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.

' You shall have no other gods before Me.

"You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who [are] all around you

"You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold [that is] on them, nor take [it] for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it [is] an abomination to the LORD your God.

"and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.

They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign [gods;] With abominations they provoked Him to anger.

"[and] lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause [anyone] to swear [by them;] you shall not serve them nor bow down to them,

And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, [including] Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.

"If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good."

"Now therefore," [he said,] "put away the foreign gods which [are] among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel."

So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law."

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, [then] put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines."

"And who [is] like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name -- and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land -- before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods?

However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put [them] in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, [every] nation in the cities where they dwelt.

For all the gods of the peoples [are] idols, But the LORD made the heavens.

" How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken Me And sworn by [those that are] not gods. When I had fed them to the full, Then they committed adultery And assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

Will a man make gods for himself, Which [are] not gods?

They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

"Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.

And do not become idolaters as [were] some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."

And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."

But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.

And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard [about it.] Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her.

And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.

'And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

"But if he does not wash [them] or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt."

"And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp."

And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and [you shall] be clean."

"[Are] not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.

And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, [if] the prophet had told you [to do] something great, would you not have done [it?] How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"

So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings [according to] the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,

Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean [thing;] Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD.

I have seen your adulteries And your [lustful] neighings, The lewdness of your harlotry, Your abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?"

"Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?

"Then I said to them, 'Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I [am] the LORD your God.'

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash [his] feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."

For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [you] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [you] double-minded.

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

but others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.