Into the Fire

The Lord says:

     "These people come near to me with their mouth

        and honor me with their lips,

        but their hearts are far from me.

     Their worship of me

        is made up only of rules taught by men.

     Therefore once more I will astound these people

        with wonder upon wonder;

     the wisdom of the wise will perish,

        the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

     Woe to those who go to great depths

        to hide their plans from the Lord,

     who do their work in darkness and think,

        "Who sees us? Who will know?"

     You turn things upside down,

        as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!

     Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,

        "He did not make me"? 

     Can the pot say of the potter,

        "He knows nothing"? 

Isaiah 29:13-16 (NIV)