28 So it is with smiths who sit near an anviland who closely examine works of iron.The blast of the firewill melt their flesh,and they will strugglewith the heat of the furnace.The sound of the hammerwill strike their ears again and again,and their eyes are focusedon the pattern of the object.They will devote themselvesto finishing the work,and they lose sleepin order to complete its decoration.
29 So it is with potters sitting at their work,turning the wheel at their feet.They lie down always feeling anxietyabout their work,and every product of theirs is valued.
30 They will mold the clay with their handsand work the wheel with their feet.They will devote themselvesto finishing the glazing,and they lose sleepin order to clean the kiln.
31 All of these have relied on their hands,and each one is skilled in their work.
32 Without them a city can’t be inhabited,and they neither go abroad to liveas immigrants nor travel about.However, they aren’t sought outwhen the people hold a council,
33 and they won’t gain prominencein the assembly.They won’t sit in the judge’s seat,and they won’t understandthe disposition of a legal case.They will never shed lighton instruction and judgment,and their wordswon’t be memorialized in proverbs.
34 But they support the worldfrom its foundations,and their prayer is concernedwith their craft.But those who devote themselvesand think about the Law of theMost High are the exception.