02/1.1 O Jehovih, what am I that I should supplicate Thee? Do I know my own weakness, or understand the way of my thoughts? You have placed before me most wonderful creations. They impress me, and my senses rise up in remembrance of the Almighty. Where have I invented even one thought but by looking upon Your works? How can I otherwise than remember my Creator, and out of Your creations, O Jehovih, find rich food for meditation all the days of my life?
02/1.2 And yet, though I have appropriated the Earth unto myself, I am not happy nor perfect withal. Misery, crime and selfishness are upon my people.
02/1.3 What is my weakness that I cannot overcome it? Or how strong am I that I succumb to the desires of the Earth? I build up my belief and courage in Thee; but before I know the way of my weakness, I stumble and fall. Am I made that I shall be forever a reproof to myself, and a censure to my own behavior?
02/1.4 How shall I say to this man or that: be pure and holy, O man! Are not my flesh and blood proof that man cannot be without sin? O this corruptible self, this tendency to fall from the right way! You, O my Creator, have proven before my senses, every day of my life, that You alone are mighty in purity and truth.
02/1.5 O that I had a starting point wherefrom to estimate Your wonderful decrees, or could find a road in which I should never stumble! But yet, O Jehovih, I will not complain because the way of Your works. You have invented a limit to my understanding, whereby I am reminded of You, to call upon Thy name. I perceive my own vanity, that were knowledge mine, I should become less beholden to You!
02/1.6 What am I, O Jehovih, without You, or wherein shall I find the glory of Your creations but by the light of Your countenance? You brought me forth out of sin and darkness and clothed me in light. I behold the smallness of myself in Your great works. You have bound me to travel on the Earth, to sojourn with beasts and all manner of creeping things, nor given even one attribute which I can boast over them, save in the power of destruction. The high firmament you placed above me: the stars, moon and sun! I know You have been there, but I am bound down in a little corner of Your works! Neither do I have power to rise up to Your distant places, nor to know Your extended heavens.
02/1.7 No, I do not have the power to shape my own size and stature, but all things take form and dimension whether I will or not. In your own way are built the walls of the world, by their magnitude I am confounded, by the majesty of Your hand appalled. Why have I vainly set up myself as the highest of Your works? My failures are worse than any other living creature under the sun. I cannot build my house in perfection like a bird's, my ingenuity cannot fashion a spider's net, I cannot sail in the air like a bird, nor live in the water like a fish, nor dwell in harmony like the bee. The half of my offspring die in infancy; the multitude of my household are quarrellers, fighters, drunkards and beggars; the best of my sons and daughters are less faithful than a dog! I go forth to war, to slay my brother, even while your wide Earth has room for all. Yes, I accurse the Earth with starvation and sin and untimely death. O that I could school myself to not boast of my greatness; instead I should be forever ashamed in your sight, Jehovih!
02/1.8 Unto You, I will acknowledge my iniquities; I can hide nothing from the eye of my Creator. Hear me then, O Father!
02/1.9 I took up arms against my brother. With great armies I encompassed him about to despoil him.
02/1.10 His widows and orphans I multiplied by the stroke of my sword; the cry of anguish that came out of their mouths I answered by the destruction of my brother's harvests.
02/1.11 To my captains and generals who showed great skill in killing, I built monuments in stone and iron. Yes, I inscribed them from top to bottom with their bloody victories.
02/1.12 And in my vanity I called out to the young, saying: Behold the glory of great men! These great monuments I have built to them!
02/1.13 And the youth of my household were whetted with ambition for spoil. The example of my hand made them train themselves for warfare.
02/1.14 To my colonels and generals I gave badges of gold. I called to the damsels, saying: Come, a great honour I give to you, for you shall dance with the officers of death!
02/1.15 And they tripped up on tip-toe, elated by the honey of my words! O Jehovih, how I have not covered up my wickedness, how I have failed but to make the flow of my brother's blood the relish of satan!
02/1.16 To my destroying hosts I have given great honour and glory. Under the pretence of enforcing peace I hewed my way in flesh and blood.
02/1.17 I made great pretensions for a kingdom. I called out to my people, saying: We must have a kingdom. I showed them no reason for it, but I bade them take up arms and follow me for patriotism's sake. And yet what was patriotism? Behold, I made it as something greater than You and Your commandment: THOU SHALL NOT KILL.
02/1.18 Yes, by the cunning of my words, I taught them that my brother was my enemy; that to fall upon him and destroy his people was great patriotism.
02/1.19 And they ran at the sound of my voice, for my glory in the greatness of my kingdom, and they committed great havoc.
02/1.20 Yes, I built colleges for training my young men in warfare. I drew a boundary here and there, saying: This is my kingdom! All others are my enemies!
02/1.21 I flattered the young men with the work of death; I said: You dogs of war! Great shall be your glory!
02/1.22 And their judgement was turned away from peace; I made them think that righteousness was to stand up for me and my country, and to destroy my brother and his.
02/1.23 They built me forts, castles and arsenals without number. I called unto my people, saying: Come, behold the glory of my defences which I built for you!
02/1.24 And they gave me money and garrisons, and ships of war, and torpedoes, shouting: Hurrah for our kingdom! We have faith in these things, more so than in You, our Creator!
02/1.25 Thus I led them away from You. Their eyes I turned toward the way of death. By the might of my armies, I put away righteousness.
02/1.26 I covered the Earth over with drunkards, widows and orphans; to beggary I reduced them, but I whetted their pride by saying: Behold what great standing armies we have!
02/1.27 To the man who said: There shall come a time of peace, when war shall be forever no more, I mocked and said: You fool!
02/1.28 I know the counts against me, O Father. I cannot hide my iniquity from Your sight. I have said war was a necessary evil to prevent a too populous world! I turned my back toward the wide, unsettled regions of the Earth. With this falsehood in my mouth, I stood before You! Yes, I cried out as if for the righteous, saying: I war for righteousness and for the protection of the weak! In the destruction of my brethren I stood as a murderer, pleading this excuse. Stubbornly, I persisted in not seeing justice from the other side, while I cut down whom You had created alive. Above Your works I raised myself up as a pruning knife in Your vineyeard.
02/1.29 Yes, more than this, I persuaded my sons and daughters that to war for me was to war for our Father in heaven. By such blasphemy I led them into ruin. And when the battle was over for a day I cried out: Behold the glory of them that were slain for the honour of their country! Thus I have added crime to crime before You, Jehovih, and thus destroyed Your beautiful creation. Verily, I have not one word in justification of my deeds before You!
02/1.30 O that I had remained faithful with You, Jehovih! But I invented gods unto the glory of the evil one. In one place I called out to my sons and daughters, saying: Be yourselves Brahmin; for Brahma saves whosoever professes this name. In another place, I said: Be yourselves Buddhist; for Buddha saves whosoever calls upon this name. In another place, I said: Be yourselves Christian; for Christ saves whosoever calls upon this name. And in yet another place, I said: Be yourselves Mohammedian; for whosoever says that there is but one God and Mohammed is his prophet shall have indulgence without sin!
02/1.31 Thus I have divided the Earth, O Jehovih! Into four great idolatries I have founded them, and into their hands put all manner of weapons of destruction; and they have become more terrible against one another than the beasts of the forest. O that I could put away these great iniquities which I raised up as everlasting torments to the Earth. Verily, there is no salvation in any of these.
02/1.32 Their people are forever destroying one another. They quarrel and kill for their respective religions; setting aside Your commandment: Thou shall not kill. They adore their own nation but hate all others. They set aside Your commandment: Love thy neighbor as thyself.
02/1.33 They preach and pray in sufficient truth; but not one of these people practise peace, love and virtue in any degree commensurate with their understanding. These religions have not saved from sin any nation or city on the whole Earth.
02/1.34 In vain I have searched for a plan of redemption; a plan that would make the Earth a paradise, the life of man a glory unto Thee and a joy unto himself. But alas, the two extremes, riches and poverty, have made the prospect of a millenium a thing of mockery.
02/1.35 For one man that is rich there are a thousand poor, and their interests are at interminable conflict with one another. Labour cries out in pain, but capital smites him with a heartless blow.
02/1.36 Nation is against nation, king against king, merchant against merchant, consumer against producer, and yes, man against man in all things upon the Earth.
02/1.37 Because the state is rotten, the politician feeds thereon; because society is rotten, the lawyer and court have riches and sumptuous feasts; because the flesh of my people is rotten, the physician finds a harvest of comfort.
02/1.38 Now, O Jehovih, I come to You! You hold the secret of peace, harmony and goodwill among mortals. Give me Your light, O Father! Show me the way to proceed so that war, crime and poverty may cease. You open the way of peace, love, virtue and truh, that Your children may rejoice in their lives and glorify You and Your works forever.
02/1.39 Such is the Voice of Man, O Jehovih! In all the nations of the Earth this voice rises up to You! As You spoke to Zarathustra, and to Abraham and Moses, leading them forth out of darkness, speak, O Jehovih!
02/1.40 Man has faith in You only; You alone were sufficient in the olden time, and today, You alone are sufficient unto Your own creation. Speak, O Jehovih!