Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,
And revive me in Your ways.

Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.

O Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
And my refuge in the day of distress,
To You the nations will come
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood,
Futility and things of no profit.”

You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.

You who rejoice in Lodebar,
And say, “Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?”

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?

“Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his reward.

“But do not resort to Bethel
And do not come to Gilgal,
Nor cross over to Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity
And Bethel will come to trouble.