Septuagint Bible w/ Apocrypha LXX
New Revised Standard w/ Apocrypha NRSA
1 Surely vain are all men by nature, who are ignorant of God, and could not out of the good things that are seen know him that is: neither by considering the works did they acknowledge the workmaster;
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For all people who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature; and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know the one who exists, nor did they recognize the artisan while paying heed to his works;
2 But deemed either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the violent water, or the lights of heaven, to be the gods which govern the world.
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but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air, or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water, or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.
3 With whose beauty if they being delighted took them to be gods; let them know how much better the Lord of them is: for the first author of beauty hath created them.
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If through delight in the beauty of these things people assumed them to be gods, let them know how much better than these is their Lord, for the author of beauty created them.
4 But if they were astonished at their power and virtue, let them understand by them, how much mightier he is that made them.
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And if people were amazed at their power and working, let them perceive from them how much more powerful is the one who formed them.
5 For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures proportionably the maker of them is seen.
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For from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.
6 But yet for this they are the less to be blamed: for they peradventure err, seeking God, and desirous to find him.
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Yet these people are little to be blamed, for perhaps they go astray while seeking God and desiring to find him.
7 For being conversant in his works they search him diligently, and believe their sight: because the things are beautiful that are seen.
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For while they live among his works, they keep searching, and they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful.
8 Howbeit neither are they to be pardoned.
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Yet again, not even they are to be excused;
9 For if they were able to know so much, that they could aim at the world; how did they not sooner find out the Lord thereof?
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for if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?
10 But miserable are they, and in dead things is their hope, who call them gods, which are the works of men's hands, gold and silver, to shew art in, and resemblances of beasts, or a stone good for nothing, the work of an ancient hand.
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But miserable, with their hopes set on dead things, are those who give the name "gods" to the works of human hands, gold and silver fashioned with skill, and likenesses of animals, or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.
11 Now a carpenter that felleth timber, after he hath sawn down a tree meet for the purpose, and taken off all the bark skilfully round about, and hath wrought it handsomely, and made a vessel thereof fit for the service of man's life;
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A skilled woodcutter may saw down a tree easy to handle and skillfully strip off all its bark, and then with pleasing workmanship make a useful vessel that serves life's needs,
12 And after spending the refuse of his work to dress his meat, hath filled himself;
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and burn the cast-off pieces of his work to prepare his food, and eat his fill.
13 And taking the very refuse among those which served to no use, being a crooked piece of wood, and full of knots, hath carved it diligently, when he had nothing else to do, and formed it by the skill of his understanding, and fashioned it to the image of a man;
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But a cast-off piece from among them, useful for nothing, a stick crooked and full of knots, he takes and carves with care in his leisure, and shapes it with skill gained in idleness; he forms it in the likeness of a human being,
14 Or made it like some vile beast, laying it over with vermilion, and with paint colouring it red, and covering every spot therein;
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or makes it like some worthless animal, giving it a coat of red paint and coloring its surface red and covering every blemish in it with paint;
15 And when he had made a convenient room for it, set it in a wall, and made it fast with iron:
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then he makes a suitable niche for it, and sets it in the wall, and fastens it there with iron.
16 For he provided for it that it might not fall, knowing that it was unable to help itself; for it is an image, and hath need of help:
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He takes thought for it, so that it may not fall, because he knows that it cannot help itself, for it is only an image and has need of help.
17 Then maketh he prayer for his goods, for his wife and children, and is not ashamed to speak to that which hath no life.
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When he prays about possessions and his marriage and children, he is not ashamed to address a lifeless thing.
18 For health he calleth upon that which is weak: for life prayeth to that which is dead; for aid humbly beseecheth that which hath least means to help: and for a good journey he asketh of that which cannot set a foot forward:
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For health he appeals to a thing that is weak; for life he prays to a thing that is dead; for aid he entreats a thing that is utterly inexperienced; for a prosperous journey, a thing that cannot take a step;
19 And for gaining and getting, and for good success of his hands, asketh ability to do of him, that is most unable to do any thing.
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for money-making and work and success with his hands he asks strength of a thing whose hands have no strength.
The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.