They were worshiping ¹  the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down with his face to the ground ¹  and paid homage to Daniel. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him.

When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people ¹  of Seir and made them his personal gods. ²  He bowed down before them and offered them sacrifices.

As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.”

He ¹  opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat ²  in God’s temple, displaying himself as God. ³ 

And the Lord sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf ¹  – the one Aaron made. ² 

So the Israelites ¹  removed the Baals and images of Ashtoreth. They served only the Lord.

This caused Israel to sin; ¹  the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves. ² 

the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, ¹  and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, ²  the gods of Sepharvaim.

Jeroboam ¹  appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers ²  and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made. ³ 

They say to themselves, ¹  “We will oppress all of them.” ²  They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. ³ 

For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise; he is more awesome than all gods. ¹ 

Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts. They have paid allegiance to ¹  the gods called Baal, ²  as their fathers ³  taught them to do.

I know Ephraim all too well; ¹  the evil of ²  Israel is not hidden from me. For you have engaged in prostitution, O Ephraim; Israel has defiled itself. ³ 

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor. ¹ 

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him.

Again and again ¹  they struck him on the head with a staff ²  and spit on him. Then they knelt down and paid homage to him.

You have witnessed what the Lord did at Baal Peor, ¹  how he ²  eradicated from your midst everyone who followed Baal Peor. ³ 

Elijah ¹  replied, “I have not brought disaster ²  on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals.

This is what the Lord says: “What fault could your ancestors ¹  have possibly found in me that they strayed so far from me? ²  They paid allegiance to ³  worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. ⁴