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Lovers of evil things, and worthy of such hopes
    are they who make them and long for them and worship them.(A)

The Potter’s Clay Idols

For the potter, laboriously working the soft earth,
    molds for our service each single article:
He fashions out of the same clay
    both the vessels that serve for clean purposes
    and their opposites, all alike;
As to what shall be the use of each vessel of either class
    the worker in clay is the judge.(B)
[a]With misspent toil he molds a meaningless god from the selfsame clay,
    though he himself shortly before was made from the earth,
And is soon to go whence he was taken,
    when the life that was lent him is demanded back.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 15:8–9 The author matches the irony of his words about the carpenter in 13:15–19 with this description of the potter’s vain work.