⁸ And so he did for all his strange wives, who made offerings with burning of perfumes to their gods.

¹ Now a number of strange women were loved by Solomon, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:

²² And in all your disgusting and false behaviour you had no memory of your early days, when you were uncovered and without clothing, stretched out in your blood.

²³ And it came about, after all your evil-doing, says the Lord,

²⁴ That you made for yourself an arched room in every open place.

²⁵ You put up your high places at the top of every street, and made the grace of your form a disgusting thing, opening your feet to everyone who went by, increasing your loose ways.

²⁶ And you went with the Egyptians, your neighbours, great of flesh; increasing your loose ways, moving me to wrath.

²⁷ Now, then, my hand is stretched out against you, cutting down your fixed amount, and I have given you up to the desire of your haters, the daughters of the Philistines who are shamed by your loose ways.

²⁸ And you went with the Assyrians, because of your desire which was without measure; you were acting like a loose woman with them, and still you had not enough.

²⁹ And you went on in your loose ways, even as far as the land of Chaldaea, and still you had not enough.

¹¹ Loose ways and new wine take away wisdom.

¹² My people get knowledge from their tree, and their rod gives them news; for a false spirit is the cause of their wandering, and they have been false to their God.

¹¹ Now these things were done as an example; and were put down in writing for our teaching, on whom the last days have come.

¹² So let him who seems to himself to be safe go in fear of a fall.

²⁰ What I say is that the things offered by the Gentiles are offered to evil spirits and not to God; and it is not my desire for you to have any part with evil spirits.

²¹ It is not possible for you, at the same time, to take the cup of the Lord and the cup of evil spirits; you may not take part in the table of the Lord and the table of evil spirits.

²² Or may we be the cause of envy to the Lord? are we stronger than he?