But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”

我所找到的只有一件，就是神造人原是正直，但他们寻出许多巧计。

你看，我所找到的只有一件，就是上帝造的人是正直的，但他们却寻出许多诡计。”

你看，我所找到的只有一件，就是神造的人是正直的，但他们却寻出许多诡计。”

我只发现一件事，上帝造的人本来正直，人却找出各种诡计。”

我所明白的，只有这件事：神造人原是正直的，他们却找出许多巧计。”

看哪，我只发现了一件事，就是神造人原是正直的，但人却寻找许多诡计。”

我所找到的只有一件，就是神造人原是正直，但他們尋出許多巧計。

你看，我所找到的只有一件，就是上帝造的人是正直的，但他們卻尋出許多詭計。」

你看，我所找到的只有一件，就是神造的人是正直的，但他們卻尋出許多詭計。」

我只發現一件事，上帝造的人本來正直，人卻找出各種詭計。」

我所明白的，只有這件事：神造人原是正直的，他們卻找出許多巧計。”

看哪，只有這一件我查出了：上帝造人原是正直的，但人卻想法子製作許多巧設的事物來。

看哪，我只發現了一件事，就是神造人原是正直的，但人卻尋找許多詭計。」

我察而知、上帝造人、本為正直、而人所謀、機巧百出、

上帝造人、正直是務、惟人所為、機巧百出、我深察其故矣。

此外、我又察得天主造人、本為正直、惟人則多計謀、逞機巧、

This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

Here’s the only other thing I found. God created human beings as honest. But they’ve made many evil plans.”

See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.”

Behold, I have found only this, that God made people upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.”

Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.”

Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes.

Behold, I have only found this: that God made man upright; but they search for many schemes.”

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Then God said,“ Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

“ My people are foolish and do not know me,” says the Lord.“ They are stupid children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no idea how to do right!”

The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,” says the Lord.“ For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

“ Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls is bent on murder.Fathers and mothers are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed among you.You despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath days of rest.People accuse others falsely and send them to their death. You are filled with idol worshipers and people who do obscene things.Men sleep with their fathers’ wives and force themselves on women who are menstruating.Within your walls live men who commit adultery with their neighbors’ wives, who defile their daughters in law, or who rape their own sisters.There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere. They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign Lord.“ But now I clap my hands in indignation over your dishonest gain and bloodshed.

They told Aaron,‘ Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made.Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written,‘ Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?No, you carried your pagan gods— the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon.’

They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight.

Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence.God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.

Then they said,“ Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.“ Look!” he said.“ The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!

They angered the Lord with all these things, so a plague broke out among them.

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.

This is the written account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself.

For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”Then he said,“ You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.

Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.As the Scriptures say,“ No one is righteous— not even one.No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”“ Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.”“ Snake venom drips from their lips.”“ Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”“ They rush to commit murder.Destruction and misery always follow them.They don’t know where to find peace.”“ They have no fear of God at all.”Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.

Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.

O Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong.

You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil— the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.