[1] But you, our God, are gracious and true, Longsuffering, and in mercy ordering all things.
[2] For even if we sin, we are your, knowing your dominion; But we shall not sin, knowing that we have been accounted your:
[3] For to be acquainted with you is perfect righteousness, And to know your dominion is the root of immortality.
[4] For neither were we led astray by any evil device of men's are, Nor yet by painters' fruitless labor, A form stained with varied colours;
[5] The sight whereof leads fools into lust: Their desire is for the breathless form of a dead image.
[6] Lovers of evil things, and worthy of such hopesas these, Are both they that do, and they that desire, and they that worship.
[7] For a potter, kneading soft earth, Laboriously mouldeth each severalvessel for our service: Nay, out of the same clay does he fashion Both the vessels that minister to clean uses, and those of a contrary sort, All in like manner; But what shall be the use of eachvessel of either sort, The craftsmanhimself is the judge.
[8] And also, laboring to an evil end, he mouldeth a vain god out of the same clay, He who, having but a little before been made of earth, After a short space goes his wayto the earth out of which he was taken, When he is required to render back the soul which was lent him.
[9] Howbeit he has anxious care, Not because his powers must fail, Nor because his span of life is short; But he matcheth himself against goldsmiths and silversmiths, And he imitateth moulders in brass, And esteemeth it glory that he mouldeth counterfeits.
[10] His heart is ashes, And his hope of less value than earth, And his life of less honor than clay:
[11] Because he was ignorant of him that moulded him, And of him that inspired into him an active soul, And breathed into him a vital spirit.
[12] But he accounted ourvery life to be a plaything, And our lifetime a gainful fair; For, says he, one must get gain whence one can, though it be by evil.
[13] For this man beyond all others knows that he sinneth, Out of earthy matter making brittle vessels and graven images.
[14] But most foolish were they all, and of feebler soul than a babe, The enemies of your people, who oppressed them;
[15] Because they even accounted all the idols of the nationsto be gods; Which have neither the use of eyes for seeing, Nor nostrils for drawing breath, Nor ears to hear, Nor fingers for handling, And their feet are helpless for walking.
[16] For a man made them, And one whose own spirit is borrowed moulded them; For no one has power,being a man, to mould a god like to himself,
[17] But, being mortal, he makes a dead thing by the work of lawless hands; For he is better than the objects of his worship, Forasmuch as he indeed had life, but they never.
[18] Yes, and the creatures that are most hateful do they worship, For, being compared as to lack of sense, these are worse than all others;
[19] Neither, as seen besideother creatures, are they beautiful, so that one should desire them, But they have escaped both the praise of God and his blessing.