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and said to him, "It would have been better not to have come into being than to come here, live in the middle of wickedness, suffer, and not understand why."
13
He answered me: "I went forth to a forest of trees on the plain, and they devised a plan
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and said: ‘Come, let's go and make war on the sea so that it may recede before us, and let's make for ourselves more forests.'
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And likewise, the waves of the sea also formed a plan and said, ‘Come, let's go up and subdue the forest on the plain so that there too we may complete another region for ourselves.'
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But the plan of the forest came to naught, for fire came and consumed it.
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Likewise also the plan of the waves of the sea, for the sand stood firm and prevented it.
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If then you were judge of these, which would you begin to justify and which to condemn?"
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I answered, "Each made a stupid plan, for land is given to the forest, and the sea is the appointed place for its waves."
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Uriel answered me: "You have judged well. So why haven't you judged well in your own case?
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As the land is given to the forest and the sea to the waves, so also only those who live on earth can understand the things that are on earth, and only those who live above the heavens can understand the things that are above the height of the heavens."
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I answered, "I beg you, Lord, why has the sense of understanding been given to me?