5. For from the greatness and the beauty of created thingstheir original author, by analogy, is seen.
6. But yet, for these the blame is less;For they have gone astray perhaps,though they seek God and wish to find him.
7. For they search busily among his works,but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.
8. But again, not even these are pardonable.
9. For if they so far succeeded in knowledgethat they could speculate about the world,how did they not more quickly find its Lord?
10. But wretched are they, and in dead things are their hopes,who termed gods things made by human hands:Gold and silver, the product of art, and images of beasts,or useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.
11. A carpenter may cut down a suitable treeand skillfully scrape off all its bark,And deftly plying his artproduce something fit for daily use,
12. And use the scraps from his handiworkin preparing his food, and have his fill;