43
And the women, with cords about them, sit along the passageways, burning bran for incense; and when one of them is led off by one of the passers-by and is lain with, she derides the woman next to her, because she was not as attractive as herself and her cord was not broken.
44
Whatever is done for them is false. Why then must any one think that they are gods, or call them gods?
45
They are made by carpenters and goldsmiths; they can be nothing but what the craftsmen wish them to be.
46
The men that make them will certainly not live very long themselves; how then can the things that are made by them be gods?
47
They have left only lies and reproach for those who come after.
48
For when war or calamity comes upon them, the priests consult together as to where they can hide themselves and their gods.
49
How then can one fail to see that these are not gods, for they cannot save themselves from war or calamity?
50
Since they are made of wood and overlaid with gold and silver, it will afterward be known that they are false.
51
It will be manifest to all the nations and kings that they are not gods but the work of men's hands, and that there is no work of God in them.
52
Who then can fail to know that they are not gods?
53
For they cannot set up a king over a country or give rain to men.