Wisdom 13:1-9

Good News Translation

The Foolishness of Nature Worship

13 Anyone who does not know God is simply foolish. Such people look at the good things around them and still fail to see the living God. They have studied the things he made, but they have not recognized the one who made them. ² Instead, they suppose that the gods who rule the world are fire or wind or storm or the circling stars or rushing water or the heavenly bodies. ³ People were so delighted with the beauty of these things that they thought they must be gods, but they should have realized that these things have a master and that he is much greater than all of them, for he is the creator of beauty, and he created them. ⁴ Since people are amazed at the power of these things, and how they behave, they ought to learn from them that their maker is far more powerful. ⁵ When we realize how vast and beautiful the creation is, we are learning about the Creator at the same time.

⁶ But maybe we are too harsh with these people. After all, they may have really wanted to find God, but couldn't. ⁷ Surrounded by God's works, they keep on looking at them, until they are finally convinced that because the things they see are so beautiful, they must be gods. ⁸ But still, these people really have no excuse. ⁹ If they had enough intelligence to speculate about the nature of the universe, why did they never find the Lord of all things?