Moses warned them about worshiping idols

15 “On the day that Yahweh spoke to your ancestors at Sinai Mountain, he was invisible. So, be careful 16 that you do not sin by making for yourselves any idol of something that can be seen! Do not make an idol that resembles any person, either a man or a woman, 17 or that resembles any animal or any bird 18 or any ◄reptile/creature that scurries across the ground► or any fish in the deep ocean. 19 And be careful to not look up toward the sky and be tempted to worship anything that you see there—the sun or the moon or the stars. Yahweh our God has given those to be a blessing to all people everywhere, but you must not worship them. 20 Yahweh has brought your ancestors out of Egypt, where they were suffering as though they were in a blazing furnace, in order that they would be people who belong to him, which is what you are today.

21 “But Yahweh was angry with me because of what your ancestors made me do. He vowed that I would not cross the Jordan River to enter the good/fertile land that he is giving to you. 22 He said that I must die here in this land and never cross the Jordan River. But you will go across it, and you will occupy that land. 23 Be sure that you do not forget the agreement that Yahweh our God made with you. He commanded you to not make any kind of idol, because he has forbidden that. 24 You must not do that because Yahweh your God will destroy anyone who worships idols, like [MET] a fire completely destroys things. He wants people to worship only him, he ◄cannot accept/will punish► people who worship anyone or anything else.

25 “When you have been in the land of Canaan for a long time and you have children and grandchildren, do not sin by making an idol that represents anything at all, because Yahweh says that is evil, and if you do that, you will cause him to become angry with you and punish you. 26 Today I am requesting everyone who is in heaven and everyone who is on the earth [MTY] to watch what you are doing. If you disobey what I am telling you, you will soon all die in the land that you will be crossing the Jordan River to occupy. You will not live very long there; Yahweh will completely get rid of many [HYP] of you. 27 And the rest of you, Yahweh will force you to go and live among the people of many other nations. Only a few of you will ◄survive/remain alive► there. 28 When you are in those nations, you will worship gods that are made of wood and stone, gods made by humans, gods that cannot see anything or hear anything or eat anything or smell anything. 29 But while you are there, if you will try to know Yahweh your God, and if you try with your entire inner being to know him, he will ◄answer/reveal himself to► you. 30 In the future, after you have been mistreated there and all those bad things happen to you, you will again worship only Yahweh and obey him. 31 Yahweh is a God who acts mercifully. If you continue to obey him, he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the agreement that he solemnly made with your ancestors.”