¹The Lord created human beings from the earth,

and he makes them return to it.

²He gave them a certain number of days to live

but also granted them authority over everything on earth.

³He gave them strength like his own

and created them in his own image.

⁴He put the fear of them in all living creatures

and gave them dominion over animals and birds.

⁶The Lord gave people discretion, a tongue, eyes,

ears, and a mind for thinking.

⁷He filled them with knowledge and understanding

and showed them the difference between good and evil.

⁸He kept his eye on their hearts

to show them the greatness of his works.

¹⁰People will praise the holy name of the Lord

as they proclaim the glory of his works.

¹¹He gave them knowledge

and the law of life for an inheritance.

¹²He made an everlasting covenant with them

and showed them his decrees.

¹³Their eyes saw his glorious majesty,

and their ears heard his glorious voice.

¹⁴The Lord said to them, “Beware of all evil.”

And he gave all of them a commandment about their neighbors.

¹⁵Their ways are always known to him;

they are not hidden from his eyes.

¹⁷Over each nation he appointed a ruler.

But Israel is the Lord’s own possession.

¹⁹To him, all their actions are as plain as the sun,

and his eyes continually watch how they live.

²⁰Their evil deeds are not hidden from him;

the Lord sees all their sins.

²²Gifts to the needy are like a signet ring to the Lord,

and kind acts are the apple of his eye.

²³Afterward he will rise up and repay the wicked;

he will bring his retribution down on their heads.

²⁴But to those who repent he grants a return to his favor,

and he encourages those who have lost hope.

A Call to Repentance

²⁵Return to the Lord, and forsake your sins.

Pray in his presence, and stop offending him.

²⁶Return to the Most High, and turn away from evil;

completely detest what he hates.

²⁷Who will praise the Most High from the place of the dead?[#17:27 Greek from Hades.]

Will they replace the living who give thanks?

²⁸Once people die, they can no longer give thanks,

but those who are alive and well can sing praises to the Lord.

²⁹How great is the mercy of the Lord

and his forgiveness for those who return to him!

³⁰Human beings cannot do everything,

for they are not immortal.

³¹There is nothing brighter than the sun, is there? Yet even it can be eclipsed.

In the same way, human beings falter by devising evil.

³²The sun watches over the powers of the heavens,[#17:32 Or The Lord.]

but all humans are merely dust and ashes.