Bible Verses About Idolatry

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments.

Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.

And God spoke all these words:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”

So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”

So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.

While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab,

who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods.

So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.

So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful

that you do not act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves of any form or shape, whether in the likeness of a male or female,

of any beast that is on the earth or bird that flies in the air,

or of any creature that crawls on the ground or fish that is in the waters below.

When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant

and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden—