After ¹  a few days, ²  the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered ³  his wealth ⁴  with a wild lifestyle.

The man ¹  who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, ²  but whoever associates ³  with prostitutes wastes ⁴  his wealth. ⁵ 

Jesus ¹  also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations ²  that his manager ³  was wasting ⁴  his assets.

Listen to my instruction ¹  so that you may be wise, ²  and do not neglect it.

The reward ¹  which the righteous receive ²  is life; the recompense ³  which the wicked receive ⁴  is judgment. ⁵ 

But when this son of yours ¹  came back, who has devoured ²  your assets with prostitutes, ³  you killed the fattened calf ⁴  for him!’

lest you give your vigor ¹  to others and your years to a cruel person,

There is desirable treasure and olive oil ¹  in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish person ²  devours all he has. ³ 

You ¹  received the law by decrees given by angels, ²  but you did not obey ³  it.” ⁴ 

From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal, has taken away ¹  all that our ancestors ²  worked for. It has taken away our flocks and our herds, and even our sons and daughters.

Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, ¹  whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ¹ 

Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all!

Israel was a fertile vine that yielded fruit. As his fruit multiplied, he multiplied altars to Baal. ¹  As his land prospered, they adorned the fertility pillars.