24 Listen, students; pay attention, and you will learn. 25 I will train you and tell you exactly what I know. 26 In the beginning, when the Lord created the world, he gave each thing its proper place. 27 He designed the forces of nature to last for all time— they never tire or get hungry or stop working. 28 They don't get in the way of each other, and they will never disobey him. 29 After God created the earth, he looked it over and filled it with creatures that were good; 30 animals of all kinds covered the ground, and when they die, they return to it. 17 1 from the soil, and he makes us return there when we die. 2 Our lives are short, but the Lord has given us power to rule the earth. 3 We were made to be like him and were given power much like his own. 4 He let us rule all animals and made them afraid of us. 5 We were given the five senses of sight and hearing, taste, touch, and smell; and we were also given the ability to think and to interpret what our senses tell us. 6 He gave us tongues for speaking, eyes for seeing, and minds for thinking and for making choices. 7 with knowledge and Wisdom that come from the Lord, and we understand the difference between right and wrong. 8 The Lord made us fear him so that we would know his mighty power. 9 Now we will tell others about his powerful deeds 10 and praise his holy name. * 11 The Lord gave to our ancestors laws that bring knowledge and life, 12 and his agreement with them will last forever. 13 Our ancestors saw the glorious power of the Lord and heard his mighty voice 14 warning them about injustice and commanding them how to treat each other.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version ®. Copyright © 1995 American Bible Society. Used by permission.