So those poor people begin thinking,\par “God has forgotten us!\par He has turned away from us forever!\par God doesn’t see what is happening to us!”\par
Those people try to hide things from the Lord. They think the Lord will not understand. Those people do their evil things in darkness. Those people tell themselves. “No person can see us. No person will know who we are.”
A person might try to hide from me\par in some hiding place.\par But it is easy for me to see him.\par Why? Because I am everywhere\par in heaven and earth!”\par The Lord said these things.\par
Then \{God\} said to me, “Son of man, {\cf2\super [67]} do you see what the elders of Israel do in the dark? Each man has a special room for his own false god! Those men say to themselves, ‘The Lord can’t see us. The Lord left this country.’”
\{God\} said, “The family of Israel and Judah have done many, many very bad sins! People are being murdered everywhere in this country. And this city is filled with crime. Why? Because the people say to themselves, ‘The Lord left this country. He can’t see the things we are doing.’
If they hide at the top of Mount Carmel, {\cf2\super [112]} \par I will find them there,\par and I will take them from that place.\par If they try to hide from me\par at the bottom of the sea,\par I will command the snake,\par and it will bite them.\par
“At that time, I will take a lamp and search through Jerusalem. I will find all the people that are satisfied to live their own way. Those people say, ‘The Lord does nothing. He does not help and he does not hurt!’ I will find those people and I will punish them!