1 Samuel 12:21
New International Version
Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.

New Living Translation
Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless!

English Standard Version
And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.

Berean Standard Bible
Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty.

King James Bible
And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

New King James Version
And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.

New American Standard Bible
Indeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after useless things which cannot benefit or save, because they are useless.

NASB 1995
“You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.

NASB 1977
“And you must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.

Legacy Standard Bible
And you must not turn aside, for then you would go after meaningless things which cannot profit and cannot deliver, because they are meaningless.

Amplified Bible
You must not turn away, for then you would go after futile things which cannot profit or rescue, because they are futile.

Christian Standard Bible
Don’t turn away to follow worthless things that can’t profit or rescue you; they are worthless.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Don’t turn away to follow worthless things that can’t profit or deliver you; they are worthless.

American Standard Version
and turn ye not aside; for then would ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.

Contemporary English Version
Don't worship idols! They don't have any power, and they can't help you or save you when you're in trouble.

English Revised Version
and turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Don't turn away to follow other gods. They can't help or rescue you, because they don't exist.

Good News Translation
Don't go after false gods; they cannot help you or save you, for they are not real.

International Standard Version
Don't turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or deliver because they're useless.

Majority Standard Bible
Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty.

NET Bible
You should not turn aside after empty things that can't profit and can't deliver, since they are empty.

New Heart English Bible
Do not turn aside to go after vain things which can't profit nor deliver, for they are vain.

Webster's Bible Translation
And turn ye not aside: for then would ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

World English Bible
Don’t turn away to go after vain things which can’t profit or deliver, for they are vain.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and you do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they [are] vain,

Young's Literal Translation
and ye do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they are vain,

Smith's Literal Translation
And ye shall not turn aside: for after vanities which will not profit, and they will not deliver, for they are vanities.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And turn not aside after vain things which shall never profit you, nor deliver you, because they are vain.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And do not choose to turn aside after vanities, which will never benefit you, nor rescue you, since they are empty.

New American Bible
Do not turn aside to gods who are nothing, who cannot act and deliver. They are nothing.

New Revised Standard Version
and do not turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or save, for they are useless.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And do not turn aside after vain things which cannot deliver you; that you may not die, for they are vain things.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And do not turn away after empty things, that you will not die, and they are not saving you because they are empty things
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
and turn ye not aside; for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And turn not aside after the gods that are nothing, who will do nothing, and will not deliver you, because they are nothing.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samuel's Farewell Address
20“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty. 22Indeed, for the sake of His great name, the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 2:5
This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves.

Deuteronomy 32:21
They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.

Isaiah 44:9-10
All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing?

Jonah 2:8
Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...

Psalm 135:15-18
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. ...

2 Kings 17:15
They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.

Jeremiah 10:3-5
For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. / They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. / Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.”

Isaiah 41:29
See, they are all a delusion; their works amount to nothing; their images are as empty as the wind.

Isaiah 46:6-7
They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship. / They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.

Romans 1:21-23
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. / Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6
So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. / For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), / yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.

Galatians 4:8-9
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. / But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

Ephesians 4:17-18
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. / They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

1 Thessalonians 1:9
For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God


Treasury of Scripture

And turn you not aside: for then should you go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

vain things

Deuteronomy 32:21
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Jeremiah 2:5,13
Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? …

Jeremiah 10:8,15
But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities…

cannot profit

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands…

Isaiah 41:23,24
Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together…

Isaiah 44:9,10
They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed…

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1 Samuel 12
1. Samuel testifies his integrity
6. He reproves the people of ingratitude
16. He terrifies them with thunder in harvest time
20. he comforts them in God's mercy














Do not turn aside
This phrase is a call to steadfastness and faithfulness. In the Hebrew context, the verb "turn aside" (סוּר, sur) implies a deviation from a set path or course. Samuel, the prophet, is urging the Israelites to remain faithful to God and not deviate from His commandments. Historically, this reflects the period of the Judges, where Israel repeatedly turned away from God, leading to cycles of oppression and deliverance. The exhortation is timeless, reminding believers to remain focused on God and His ways, resisting the temptation to stray.

after worthless things
The term "worthless things" (הַתֹּהוּ, ha-tohu) in Hebrew can also be translated as "vain" or "empty." This word is often used to describe idols or false gods, which were prevalent in the ancient Near Eastern cultures surrounding Israel. These "worthless things" are contrasted with the living God, who is of infinite worth. The historical context here is crucial, as Israel was surrounded by nations that worshipped idols, and the temptation to adopt these practices was strong. The admonition serves as a warning against idolatry and the pursuit of things that have no eternal value.

that cannot profit or deliver
The phrase emphasizes the impotence of idols and false pursuits. The Hebrew word for "profit" (יַעֲלֶה, ya'aleh) suggests benefit or gain, while "deliver" (יַצִּיל, yatzil) implies rescue or salvation. In the ancient world, people often turned to idols for prosperity and protection, but Samuel reminds the Israelites that these objects of worship are powerless. This is a profound theological statement about the nature of God versus idols; only God can truly provide and save. The message is clear: trust in God alone, for He is the source of all good and the only one who can deliver from trouble.

for they are futile
The word "futile" (הַבְּלִים, habalim) in Hebrew conveys the idea of breath or vapor, something transient and insubstantial. This imagery is used throughout Scripture to describe the fleeting nature of life and the emptiness of idolatry. In the context of 1 Samuel, it underscores the foolishness of relying on anything other than God. Historically, Israel's repeated failures to adhere to this principle led to their downfall and exile. The verse serves as a powerful reminder of the futility of placing hope in anything other than the eternal, unchanging God. It calls believers to a life of purpose and meaning found only in a relationship with Him.

(21) For then should ye go after vain things.--The passage is more forcible without the "for" and the words in italics supplied in the English translation. The verse without it would run thus: "Turn ye not aside after vain things which cannot profit," &c. Singularly enough, not one of the ancient versions translate the Hebrew ki, "for": they all omit it. It is therefore clear that this "for" has, through some copyist's error, got into the text since the versions were made.

Verse 21. - For then should ye go after vain things. The word for is omitted in all the ancient versions, and the sense is complete without it: "And turn ye not aside after tohu," the word used in Genesis 1:1, and there translated "without form." It means anything empty, void, and so is often used, as here, for "an idol," because, as St. Paul says, "an idol is nothing in the world" (1 Corinthians 8:4). So Isaiah (Isaiah 44:9) calls the makers of idols vanity, Hebrew, tohu, i.e. empty people, with no sense in them. The word is used again at the end of the verse - which idols cannot profit nor deliver; for they are tohu, emptiness.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Do not
וְלֹ֖א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

turn aside
תָּס֑וּרוּ (tā·sū·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

after
אַחֲרֵ֣י (’a·ḥă·rê)
Preposition
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

worthless
הַתֹּ֗הוּ (hat·tō·hū)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8414: A desolation, desert, a worthless thing, in vain

things that
אֲשֶׁ֧ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

cannot
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

profit [you]
יוֹעִ֛ילוּ (yō·w·‘î·lū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3276: To confer or gain profit or benefit

or deliver [you],
יַצִּ֖ילוּ (yaṣ·ṣî·lū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5337: To strip, plunder, deliver oneself, be delivered, snatch away, deliver

for
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they [are]
הֵֽמָּה׃ (hêm·māh)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

empty.
תֹ֥הוּ (ṯō·hū)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8414: A desolation, desert, a worthless thing, in vain


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OT History: 1 Samuel 12:21 And don't turn aside (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
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