Wooden Idols Compared with Noah's Wooden Boat
1 In the same way, a man getting ready to sail on the raging sea will call for help from a piece of wood that is not as strong as the ship he is about to board. 2 Someone designed the ship out of a desire for profit, and a craftsman built it with skill. 3 But it is your care, O Father, that steers it; you give it a safe path through the waves of the sea. 4 People may go to sea even if they have no skill, because you can save them from any danger. 5 It is your will that the things you have made by your wisdom should be put to use. And so people can cross the sea in a boat and come safely to land, because they trust their lives to that small piece of wood.
6 This was how it was in ancient times, when a proud race of giants was dying away. The hope of the world escaped on such a boat under your guidance and left the world a new generation to carry on the human race. 7 A blessing was on Noah's wooden boat that allowed righteousness to survive, 8 but a curse is on an idol made by human hands. A curse is also on the one who makes it, because he works on this perishable thing and then calls it a god. 9 Ungodly people and these ungodly things they make are equally hated by God, 10 who will punish both the things made and the people who made them. 11 And so God's judgment will fall on pagan idols, because, even though they are made from something God created, they became horrible things that trap the souls of foolish people.
The Origins of Idolatry
12 Sexual immorality began when idols were invented. They have corrupted human life ever since they were first made. 13 Idols have not always existed, nor will they exist forever. 14 It was human pride that brought them into the world, and that is why a quick end has been planned for them.
15 Once there was a father who was overwhelmed with grief at the untimely death of his child, so he made an image of that child who had been suddenly taken from him. He then honored a dead human being as a god, and handed on secret rituals and ceremonies to those who were under his authority. 16 As time went on, this ungodly custom became stronger. Finally it became law, and idols were being worshiped at the command of powerful rulers. 17 When people lived too far away to honor a ruler in his presence but were eager to pay honor to this absent king, they would imagine what he must look like, and would then make a likeness of him. 18 The ambitious artists who made these likenesses caused this worship to spread, even among people who did not know the king. 19 An artist might want to please some ruler, and so he would use his skill to make the likeness better looking than the actual person. 20 Then people would be so attracted by the work of art, that the one whom they had earlier honored now became the object of their worship. 21 So all this became a deadly trap, because people who were grieving, or under royal authority, would take objects of stone or wood, and give them the honor reserved for the One God.
The Results of Idolatry
22 One thing led to another. It was not enough to be wrong about the knowledge of God. They lived in a state of evil warfare, but they were so ignorant that they called it peace. 23 They murdered children in their initiation rituals, celebrated secret mysteries, and held wild ceremonial orgies with unnatural practices. 24 They no longer kept their lives or their marriages pure. A man might kill another by an act of treachery or cause him grief by committing adultery with his wife. 25 Everything was a complete riot of bloody murder, robbery, deceit, corruption, faithlessness, disorder, falsehood, 26 harassment of innocent people, ingratitude, moral decay, sexual perversion, broken marriages, adultery, and immorality. 27 The worship of idols, whose names should never be spoken, is the beginning and the end, the cause and the result of every evil. 28 People who worship them lose control of themselves in ecstasy, or pass off lies as prophecies, or live wickedly, or break their word without hesitation. 29 They tell lies under oath and expect no punishment, because the idols they put their trust in are lifeless. 30 But punishment will finally catch up with them, for two reasons: first, they were in error about God when they worshiped idols, and second, they had so little regard for holiness that they made false statements to deceive people. 31 When unrighteous people commit sin, they will be hunted down, not by the power of whatever thing they swear by, but by the punishment that sinners deserve.
ǁGôa-elona Noaxi di doe-ommi ǀkha ǀgopeǀnōs
1 ǀNî-i ge ǁkhawa khoe-i, ǁaixa ǃgabiga ūhâ hurib ai ra ǃnari ǂgao-e, ǁî-i ǃnari ai hâ doe-oms xa ǂkhabusa ǃnaoǃâro-i ai ra hui-ôa-e. 2 ǀNî khoe-i ge hōǂgās di turaba xu doe-omma ra kuru tsî-i ge ǃnaokuru-ao-e ǁîba ǂans di ǁkhāsib ǀkha ra kuru. 3 Xawets ge sa ǃkhōǂhomis ǀkha ǁGûtse, doe-omma ǁnumi tsî ǃnorasa daoba hurib di ǃgabigu ǃnâ-u ra mā. 4 Khoen ge ǂans di ǁkhāsiban ga ūhâ tama i, xawe hurib ai a ǃnari ǁkhā, ǃaorosasiba xūn sats xa huiǂuihe ǁkhā xui-ao. 5 Sa ǂâis ge sa gā-aisib ǀkha ge kuruhe xūn nî sîsenūhesa. Tsîn ge khoena ǁîn ûigan ǃnaoro-i ai ra ǂgomǃgâ xui-ao, hurib ai ǂgaus ǀkha ǃnari tsî ǃnorasase ǃhūb kōse sī ǁkhā.
6 Nēn ge ǀorokam ǁaeǃgâs hîan gere ǂnīsa, kaikara khoena ǁōǂoas ǃnâ gere ī xūna. ǃÂubasens ǃhūbaib dis ge nēti ī ǂgaus ai, sa ǂgaeǂguis ǃnaka ge ûiǂoa tsî ǃhūbaiba ǀasa suriba khoesi aiǃgûs ǃaroma ge ǁnāxūba. 7 ǀKhaeb ge Noaxi di doe-ommi hîa ǂhanu-aisib nî ûiǃkharu ǃkhaisa ge ī ǁkhāb kaib ai ge hâ i, 8 xaweb ge ǀâxareba khoen xa ǃomgu ǀkha kuruhe hâ ǁgôa-elo-īb ai hâ. ǁKhātib ge ǀâxareba nēti-ī xū-e ra kuru-i ai hâ, ǁgaoǁkhā xū-e kuru tsî i elob ti ra ǀonǂgai xui-ao. 9 Eloxoresa khoen tsî eloxoresasib tsîn hoanab ge Eloba a ǃhuisa 10 tsîb ge xūn tsî ǁîna ge kuru khoen tsîn hoana nî ǁkhara. 11 ǁNātis ge Elob di ǀgoraǃgâsa, ǁîb ge kuru xūn ǀkhan kuruhe hâ xawes tsîna ǀūbeǁgôa-elon ai nî hā. ǁNātib ge Eloba nē ui-uisa ǁgôa-elon hîa ǀomdi gâkhoen dide ra ǃnuina nî hîkākā.
ǁGôa-eloǃoabas di tsoatsoas
12 ǀAib ge ǁgôa-elon ge hōǂuihe, o ge tsoatsoa. ǁÎn ge khoesi ûiba ǁgôa-elon ge ǂguro kuruhe ǁaeba xu ge ǁgaoǁgao. 13 ǁGôa-elon ge hâhâ tama tsî tātsēs tsîna hâhâ tide. 14 Khoesi ǂnīsasib ge ǁîna ǃhūbaib ai ge hā kai tsî ǁnā-amagas ge Elob ge ǁîn ǃhaese nî kā ǃkhaisa ge ǀapesa.
15 ǀGui ǁgûb ge ǁîb ôab di ǃnapetama ǁōb xa kaise gere ǃoa, tsîb ge ǁnā ǀgôab ǁnāti ge ǁîba xu ǃhaese ūbēheb di ī-e ge kuru. ǁÎb ge ǁîb di ǁō hâ ǀgôaba elo-i ase ǃgôasiba mā tsî ǁîb di ǂgaeǂguis ǃnaka ge hâ i khoena ǂganǃgâsa ǃoabade ge ǂnûiǂgāba. 16 ǁAeb ra ǃgû khamib ge nē eloxoresasib di ǁnaetiba ge ǀgai. ǀUnis aib ge ge ǂhanu kai, tsîn ge ǀgaisa ǂgaeǂgui-aogu di mîmās ai ǁgôa-elona gere ǀgoreǀîhe. 17 Khoen ge ǁîn di gao-ao-en ga ǃgôasiba mā ǂgao, xawen ga nē ǃkhaisa dīs ǃaroma kaise ǃnūse ǁan, o mâtib ī ǃkhaisa mûnanai tsî mûhesa ī-i ǁîb di-e gere kuru. 18 Kuru-aogu hîa gere nē īga kurugu ge nē ǀgoreǀîs nî gao-aoba ǀū khoen tsîn ǃnâ khoraǂuihe ǃkhaisa ge ǃaroma. 19 Kuru ǁkhā khoe-i hîa ǁî-i di ǂgaeǂgui-ao-e ra ǂkhîǂkhîǂgao ǂgao-i ge ǁî-i di sîsenǂansa sîsenū tsî khoeb di ība ǁnā khoeb ǂûb ǃgâ-ai îsase gere kuru. 20 ǁNātikōse kuru ǁkhā khoeb di sîsenni xa ǂgaehe tsîn ge khoena nē khoeb hîan gere aiǃâ ǃgôasiba māba gere ǀgoreǀî. 21 ǁNā-amagan ge khoen hîa ǃoa tamas ka io gaosi ǀgaib ǃnaka hâna nēs xa ǁōǁōsa ǃnuis ase ībahe tsî xūn hîa ǀui-i tamas ka io hai-i ǀkha kurusana ū tsî ǀgui Elob ǀguib nî māhe ǃgôasiba gere mā.
ǁGôa-eloǃoabas ra ǃaroma xūn
22 ǁÎn ge Elob di ǂansan ra ǂâisā ǃkhais ǀkha ge ǂâu tama hâ i. Tsîn ge ǂkhabab ǃnân ge ûi hâ i, xawe ǁnātikōse ǀū tsî ǂkhababa ǂkhîb ti gere ǂgai. 23 ǁÎn ge ǀgôana ǃhaoǃnāsi xūn ǁkhāǁkhādi ǃnâ-ū ǃgam, ǂganǃgâsa ǃoabade dī tsî ǁgauoǃnâ ǃgâiǃgâisenga ǁnaetisa tama dīxūn ǀkha gere dī. 24 ǁÎn ûigu tamas ka io ǃgamegan ge ǃaruǀî ǃanuse ge ūhâ tama hâ i. Khoeb ge ǀnî khoeba ǀhôagao ǀgaub ǃnâ ǃgam ǁkhā, tamas ka io ǁîb taras ǀkha ǀais ǀkha ǁnā khoeba ǃoaba ra ǃaromaba. 25 ǁGaiǁgaisa xūn ǀaoǂnâxūs tsî ǃgams, ǃnarib tsî gāxaǃnâb, ǀhôagaosib tsî ǂgomǃgâoǃnâsib, ǂâikorobesib tsî ǂhumib, 26 ǀhapio khoena ǃgôaǃgons tsî ganganoǃnâsib, ǀgaiǃkhōs tsî ǃgamekhôas, ǁgauoǃnâsib tsî ǀaib tsîn hoan ge ge hâ i. 27 ǁGôa-elon tātsēs tsîna di ǀondi âna ǂgaihe tidena ǀgoreǀîs ge tsoatsoa tsî a ǀuni tsî mâ ǂkhabab hoab di ǃaroma. 28 ǁNān hîa ǁîna ra ǀgoreǀîn ge ǃkhau hâ khoen khami ra dīsen. ǁÎn ge ǂhumi tsî kēbos ti mî tsî ǂkhabase ûi tsî ǁîn mîsa khôasa îganǀgē tama hâ. 29 ǁÎn ra ûitsama tama ǁgôa-elon ǃnâ ǂgom xui-aon ge nūs ǃnaka ǂhumiba ǃhoa tsî ǁkharahen nî ǃkhaisa ǃâubasen tama hâ. 30 Xawe ǁkharab ge ǀgam ǃaromara ai ǀunis ai nî hā: ǂGurosen ge ǁîna ǁgôa-elona ǀgoreǀîs ǀkha Eloba ge ǃharaxū tsî ǀgamǁîsen ge ǁîna ǂkhari ǃgôasib ǀguiba ǃanusiba ūba hâ tsî khoenan nî gāxaǃnâse, ǂkhaba ǃnuride ra dī. 31 ǂHanuoǃnâ khoen ga ǁoreo, on ge nî ǁkharahe ǁî-i ain ra nū xūn di ǀgaib ǃnâs ose, xawe ǁore-aon ǃoaǂui hâ ǁkharaba ǃoa.
