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;
13 Then the good-for-nothing refuse from these remnants,crooked wood grown full of knots,he takes and carves to occupy his spare time.This wood he models with mindless skill,and patterns it on the image of a human being
14 or makes it resemble some worthless beast.When he has daubed it with red and crimsoned its surface with red stain,and daubed over every blemish in it,
15 He makes a fitting shrine for itand puts it on the wall, fastening it with a nail.
16 Thus he provides for it lest it fall down,knowing that it cannot help itself;for, truly, it is an image and needs help.
17 But when he prays about his goods or marriage or children,he is not ashamed to address the thing without a soul.For vigor he invokes the powerless;