Where does evil come from?

The Riddle of Epicurus, or Problem of evil, is a famous argument against the existence of an all-powerful and providential God. As recorded by Lactantius:

God either wants to eliminate bad things and cannot, or can but does not want to, or neither wishes to nor can, or both wants to and can. If he wants to and cannot, then he is weak - and this does not apply to god. If he can but does not want to, then he is spiteful - which is equally foreign to god's nature. If he neither wants to nor can, he is both weak and spiteful, and so not a god. If he wants to and can, which is the only thing fitting for a god, where then do bad things come from? Or why does he not eliminate them?


This problem is further complicated because according to the bible, evil comes from god. 


•I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7, KJV)


•Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (Amos 3:6, KJV)


•Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? (Lamentations 3:38)


That means there are only a few alternatives. One, the bible is wrong. Two, god both creates good and evil and permits them both free reign. Three, there is no god and events which are good and bad happen according to the laws of probability.