19. Your glory passed through the four gates of fire, earthquake, wind, and ice so that you would give the Law to Jacob’s descendants, the rules to be observed to Israel’s offspring.
20. “But you didn’t take away from them the inclination to do evil so that your Law might bear fruit in them.
21. The first Adam, burdened with this inclination, disobeyed you and was overcome, but so were all those descended from him.
22. The disease became permanent; the Law was in the people’s heart along with the wicked root, and that which was good departed and the wickedness remained.
23. Times passed and years were completed, and you raised up for yourself a servant named David.
24. You told him to build a city to your name and to bring you offerings in it from what is yours.
25. This was done for many years. But those who inhabited the city sinned,
26. doing in every matter just as Adam and all his descendants had done, for they too exercised their inclination to do evil.
27. So you handed your city over to your enemies.
28. “I said then in my heart, Are the lives of Babylon’s inhabitants any better? Is that why Babylon has gained dominion over Zion?