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.”
You do bad things, but still you feel safe.\par You think to yourself,\par ‘No one sees the wrong things I do.’\par You think that your wisdom and knowledge\par will save you.\par You think to yourself,\par ‘I am the only one.\par No one is important like me.’\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.’
“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!