2 Kings 17:41

17:41 These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.

2 Kings 17:1

Hoshea’s Reign over Israel

17:1 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 1  for nine years.

2 Kings 18:21

18:21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him.

Hosea 10:2

10:2 Their heart is slipping;

soon they will be punished for their guilt.

The Lord 2  will break their altars;

he will completely destroy their fertility pillars.

Zephaniah 1:5

1:5 I will remove 3  those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, 4 

those who swear allegiance to the Lord 5  while taking oaths in the name of 6  their ‘king,’ 7 

Matthew 6:24

6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate 8  the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise 9  the other. You cannot serve God and money. 10 

Luke 16:13

16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate 11  the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise 12  the other. You cannot serve God and money.” 13 

1 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

3 tn The words “I will remove” are repeated from v. 4b for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 4b-6 contain a long list of objects for the verb “I will remove” in v. 4b. In the present translation a new sentence was begun at the beginning of v. 5 in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.

4 tn Heb “those who worship on their roofs the host of heaven.” The “host of heaven” included the sun, moon, planets, and stars, all of which were deified in the ancient Near East.

5 tc The MT reads, “those who worship, those who swear allegiance to the Lord.” The original form of the LXX omits the phrase “those who worship”; it may have been accidentally repeated from the preceding line. J. J. M. Roberts prefers to delete as secondary the phrase “those who swear allegiance” (J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah [OTL], 168).

6 tn Heb “those who swear by.”

7 tn The referent of “their king” is unclear. It may refer sarcastically to a pagan god (perhaps Baal) worshiped by the people. Some English versions (cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) prefer to emend the text to “Milcom,” the name of an Ammonite god (following some LXX mss, Syriac, and Vulgate) or “Molech,” a god to whom the Israelites offered their children (cf. NIV, NLT). For a discussion of the options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 75-77.

8 sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.

9 tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”

10 tn Grk “God and mammon.”

11 sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.

12 tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”

13 tn Grk “God and mammon.” This is the same word (μαμωνᾶς, mamwnas; often merely transliterated as “mammon”) translated “worldly wealth” in vv. 9, 11.