1Forsooth thou, our God, art sweet, and true, and patient, and disposeth all things in mercy.
2For if we sin, we be thine, and know thy greatness; and if we sin not, we know, that we be accounted at thee or for with thee we be counted.
3For why to know thee, is perfect rightfulness or full ended rightwise-ness; and to know thy rightfulness or rightwiseness, and virtue, is the root of undeadliness (or immortality).
4Forsooth the thinking out of evil craft of men brought not us into error, neither the shadow of painture or of painting travail without fruit, an image graven by (or with) diverse colours;
5whose beholding giveth covetous-ness to an unwise man, and he loveth the likeness of a dead image without (a) soul. whose sight to the unwise giveth coveting, and loveth the like-ness of the dead image without soul.
6The lovers of evils be worthy (of) the death, that have hope in such things; and they that make those, and they that love (them), and they that wor-ship (them) be worthy (of) the death.
7But also a potter, thrusting (or squeezing) the nesh earth, by great travail maketh each vessel to (or for) our uses; and (out) of the same clay he maketh vessels that be clean to use (or be for clean uses), and in like manner those that be contrary to these; forsooth what use is of these vessels, the potter is (the) judge.
8And (then) he that was made of earth a little before, maketh a god of the same clay with vain travail; and the potter, asked to yield the debt of the soul which he had, leadeth himself after a little time (back) to the earth, from whence he was taken. And with vain travail (a) god he maketh (out) of the same clay, he that a little before of earth was made; and after a little he leadeth himself (from) whence he is taken, again asked (for) the debt of the soul that he had.
9But he hath care, not for he shall travail, neither for his life is short, but he striveth with goldsmiths and silver-smiths; but also he pursueth or followeth workers of brass, and setteth before glory; for he maketh superfluous or over-void things.
10For the heart of him is ashes, and superfluous earth is his hope, and his life is viler or fouler than clay.
11For he knew not God, that made him, and that inspired a soul (in)to him or that inspired to him a soul; and he loveth those things which he hath wrought; and he knew not God, that blowed in him a spirit of life.
12But they guessed fleshly delight-ing or a playing place to be our life, and the conversation of life to be made to (or for) winning, either covetousness, and that it behooveth to get on each side, yea, of (or by) evil.
13Forsooth this man that maketh frail vessels, and graven images of the matter (or material) of earth, knoweth that he trespasseth above all men.
14Forsooth, Lord, all (the) unwise men and cursed be proud over the measure of their soul, and be enemies of thy people, and upbraid it or (be) mis-saying to it;
15for they guessed all the idols of (the) nations to be gods, that have neither sight of eyes to see, neither nostrils to perceive a spirit, either wind, neither ears to hear, neither fingers of hands to touch, but also their feet be slow to go.
16For why a man made those or A man forsooth made them, and he that borrowed a spirit, made those; for why no man may make a god like himself.
17For since he is deadly (or mortal), by wicked hands he maketh a dead idol or the dead he maketh with wicked hands; for he is better than these gods, which he worshippeth; for soothly he lived, when he was deadly (or mortal), but they lived never.
18But also most wretched men worship beasts; for why unreasonable beasts, comparisoned to these men, be worse than they.
19But neither by sight any man may of these beasts behold goods or good things; forsooth they have driven away or they (have) fled the praising of God, and his blessing.
