8 Then—wasting their energy—these potters form a useless idol from the same clay. And not long ago, these potters themselves were made from the soil and will soon turn back into soil, just like all other humans, when it is time to return our borrowed souls.
9 But these potters don't care that we all must die or that life is short. They consider it a wonderful thing to mold false gods, and all they care about is competing with others, who make idols out of gold or silver or copper.
10 The heart of such workers is made of ashes, their hope is worth no more than dirt, and their lives are of less value than clay,
11 because they don't know you, the God who formed their bodies, then filled them with a lively soul and breathed into them a living spirit.
12 They think of life as a meaningless game or as a festival for making money, because they believe that we should try to get rich in every way possible, even by dishonesty.
13 More than anyone else, these people realize that they are sinning when they make dishes and idols from the same clay.
14 Our God, those Egyptians who abused your people were the most foolish of all and were more pitiful than infants.