When all your people Israel pray and ask for help,<n id="1" /> as they acknowledge their pain<n id="2" /> and spread out their hands toward this temple,

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

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;God does not really live with humankind on the earth!<n id="1" /> Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built!

When all your people Israel pray and ask for help,<n id="1" /> as they acknowledge their intense pain<n id="2" /> and spread out their hands toward this temple,

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" />

<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">God has made everything fit beautifully<n id="1" /> in its appropriate time,p> <p class="poetry">but<n id="2" /> he has also placed ignorance<n id="3" /> in the human heart<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">so that<n id="5" /> people<n id="6" /> cannot discover what God has ordained,<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">from the beginning to the end<n id="8" /> of their lives.<n id="9" />p>

<p class="poetry">To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions,p> <p class="poetry">he has also given him the ability<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil;p> <p class="poetry">these things<n id="2" /> are the gift of God.p>

<p class="poetry">In times of prosperity<n id="1" /> be joyful,p> <p class="poetry">but in times of adversity<n id="2" /> consider this:p> <p class="poetry">God has made one as well as the other,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">so that no one can discover what the future holds.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">While applying<n id="1" /> my mind<n id="2" /> to everything<n id="3" /> that happens in this world,<n id="4" /> I have seen all this:p> <p class="poetry">Sometimes one person<n id="5" /> dominates<n id="6" /> other people<n id="7" /> to their harm.<n id="8" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">So I reflected on all this,<n id="1" /> attempting to clear<n id="2" /> it all up.p> <p class="poetry">I concluded that<n id="3" /> the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;p> <p class="poetry">whether a person will be loved or hated<n id="4" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">no one knows what lies ahead.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">This is the unfortunate fact<n id="1" /> about everything that happens on earth:<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the same fate awaits<n id="3" /> everyone.p> <p class="poetry">In addition to this, the hearts of all people<n id="4" /> are full of evil,p> <p class="poetry">and there is folly in their hearts during their lives &#8211; then they die.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">and they are afraid of heights and the dangers<n id="1" /> in the street;p> <p class="poetry">the almond blossoms<n id="2" /> grow white,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and the grasshopper<n id="4" /> drags itself along,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">and the caper berry<n id="6" /> shrivels up<n id="7" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">because man goes to his eternal home,<n id="8" />p> <p class="poetry">and the mourners go about in the streets &#8211;p>

So,&#8221; the Lord <sc>Godsc><n id="1" /> says, &#8220;my raging fury will be poured out on this land.<n id="2" /> It will be poured out on human beings and animals, on trees and crops.<n id="3" /> And it will burn like a fire which cannot be extinguished.&#8221;p>

&#8220;I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength,<n id="1" /> and I give it to whomever I see fit.<n id="2" />

&#8216;The defenders of the city will go out and fight with the Babylonians.<n id="1" /> But they will only fill those houses and buildings with the dead bodies of the people that I will kill in my anger and my wrath.<n id="2" /> That will happen because I have decided to turn my back on<n id="3" /> this city on account of the wicked things they have done.<n id="4" />

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Look! Enemies are gathering in the north like water rising in a river.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They will be like an overflowing stream.p> <p class="poetry">They will overwhelm the whole country and everything in it like a flood.p> <p class="poetry">They will overwhelm the cities and their inhabitants.p> <p class="poetry">People will cry out in alarm.p> <p class="poetry">Everyone living in the country will cry out in pain.p>

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out<n id="1" /> my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them.<n id="2" />

&#8220;&#8216;But the children<n id="1" /> rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys<n id="2" /> them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out<n id="3" /> my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness.