Deuteronomy 4:25–31

²⁵“Even when you have been in the land a long time and have children and grandchildren, do not sin by making for yourselves an idol in any form at all. This is evil in the Lord’s sight, and it will make him angry. ²⁶I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that, if you disobey me, you will soon disappear from the land. You will not live very long in the land across the Jordan that you are about to occupy. You will be completely destroyed. ^27*The Lord will scatter you among other nations, where only a few of you will survive. ^28*There you will serve gods made by human hands, gods of wood and stone, gods that cannot see or hear, eat or smell. ^29*There you will look for the Lord your God, and if you search for him with all your heart, you will find him. ³⁰When you are in trouble and all those things happen to you, then you will finally turn to the Lord and obey him. ³¹He is a merciful God. He will not abandon you or destroy you, and he will not forget the covenant that he himself made with your ancestors.