<p class="bodytext">&#8220;The time will come when<n id="1" /> the skies<n id="2" /> are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people<n id="3" /> sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you,<n id="4" /> and turn away from their sin because you punish<n id="5" /> them,

then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly<n id="1" /> you will then teach them the right way to live<n id="2" /> and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess.<n id="3" />p>

then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin,<n id="1" /> and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of their motives.<n id="2" /> (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.)<n id="3" />

if my people, who belong to me,<n id="1" /> humble themselves, pray, seek to please me,<n id="2" /> and repudiate their sinful practices,<n id="3" /> then I will respond<n id="4" /> from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.<n id="5" />

He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky<n id="1" /> and worshiped<n id="2" /> them.

It read: &#8220;This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalem<n id="1" /> in Judah. May the <sc>Lordsc> your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Thus says King Cyrus of Persia:p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple<n id="1" /> for him in Jerusalem,<n id="2" /> which is in Judah.

But if you repent<n id="1" /> and obey<n id="2" /> my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location,<n id="3" /> I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for my name to reside.&#8217;

I responded to them by saying, &#8220;The God of heaven will prosper us. We his servants will start the rebuilding.<n id="1" /> But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">While this one was still speaking,<n id="1" /> another messenger arrived<n id="2" /> and said, &#8220;The fire of God<n id="3" /> has fallen from heaven<n id="4" /> and has burned up the sheep and the servants &#8211; it has consumed them! And I &#8211; only I alone &#8211; escaped to tell you!&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">I decided<n id="1" /> to carefully<n id="2" /> and thoroughly examine<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">all that has been accomplished on earth.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I concluded:<n id="5" /> God has given people<n id="6" /> a burdensome task<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">that keeps them<n id="8" /> occupied.<n id="9" />p>

<p class="poetry">I thought deeply<n id="1" /> about the effects of<n id="2" /> indulging<n id="3" /> myself<n id="4" /> with winep> <p class="poetry">(all the while<n id="5" /> my mind was guiding me<n id="6" /> with wisdom)<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">and the effects of<n id="8" /> behaving foolishly,<n id="9" />p> <p class="poetry">so that<n id="10" /> I might discover what is profitable<n id="11" />p> <p class="poetry">for people<n id="12" /> to do on earth<n id="13" /> during the few days<n id="14" /> of their lives.p>

<p class="poetry">Do not curse a king even in your thoughts,p> <p class="poetry">and do not curse the rich<n id="1" /> while in your bedroom;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">for a bird<n id="3" /> might report what you are thinking,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">or some winged creature<n id="5" /> might repeat your<n id="6" /> words.<n id="7" />p>

&#8220;O <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim!<n id="1" /> You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky<n id="2" /> and the earth.

<p class="poetry">For this is what the <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">the one who created the sky &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">he is the true God,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who formed the earth and made it;p> <p class="poetry">he established it,p> <p class="poetry">he did not create it without order,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he formed it to be inhabited &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I am the <sc>Lordsc>, I have no peer.p>

<n id="1" /><p class="poetry">The rain and snow fall from the skyp> <p class="poetry">and do not return,p> <p class="poetry">but instead water the earthp> <p class="poetry">and make it produce and yield crops,p> <p class="poetry">and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.p>

Children are gathering firewood, fathers are building fires with it, and women are mixing dough to bake cakes to offer to the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven.<n id="1" /> They are also pouring out drink offerings to other gods. They seem to do all this just<n id="2" /> to trouble me.

They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon and the stars.<n id="1" /> These are things they<n id="2" /> adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance,<n id="3" /> from which they sought guidance, and worshiped. The bones of these people<n id="4" /> will never be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the ground.<n id="5" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">I said,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will weep and mourn<n id="2" /> for the grasslands on the mountains,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I will sing a mournful song for the pastures in the wildernessp> <p class="poetry">because they are so scorched no one travels through them.p> <p class="poetry">The sound of livestock is no longer heard there.p> <p class="poetry">Even the birds in the sky and the wild animals in the fieldsp> <p class="poetry">have fled and are gone.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Do any of the worthless idols<n id="1" /> of the nations cause rain to fall?p> <p class="poetry">Do the skies themselves send showers?p> <p class="poetry">Is it not you, O Lord our God, who does this?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">So we put our hopes in you<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">because you alone do all this.&#8221;p>