Wisdom

¹Then the righteous man will stand in great boldness before the face of those who afflicted him, and those who make his labors of no account. ²When they see him, they will be troubled with terrible fear, and will be amazed at the marvel of salvation. ³They will speak among themselves repenting, and for distress of spirit they will groan, “This was he whom we used to hold in derision, as a parable of reproach. ⁴We fools considered his life madness, and his end without honor. ⁵How was he counted among sons of God? How is his lot among saints? ⁶Truly we went astray from the way of truth. The light of righteousness didn’t shine for us. The sun didn’t rise for us. ⁷We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction. We traveled through trackless deserts, but we didn’t know the Lord’s way. ⁸What did our arrogance profit us? What good have riches and boasting brought us? ⁹Those things all passed away as a shadow, like a rumor that runs by, ¹⁰like a ship passing through the billowy water, which, when it has gone by, there is no trace to be found, no pathway of its keel in the waves. ¹¹Or it is like when a bird flies through the air, no evidence of its passage is found, but the light wind, lashed with the stroke of its pinions, and torn apart with the violent rush of the moving wings, is passed through. Afterwards no sign of its coming remains. ¹²Or it is like when an arrow is shot at a mark, the air it divided closes up again immediately, so that men don’t know where it passed through. ¹³So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be; and we had no sign of virtue to show, but we were utterly consumed in our wickedness.” ¹⁴Because the hope of the ungodly man is like chaff carried by the wind, and as foam vanishing before a tempest; and is scattered like smoke by the wind, and passes by as the remembrance of a guest who stays just a day. ¹⁵But the righteous live forever. Their reward is in the Lord, and the care for them with the Most High. ¹⁶Therefore they will receive the crown of royal dignity and the diadem of beauty from the Lord’s hand, because he will cover them with his right hand, and he will shield them with his arm. ¹⁷He will take his zeal as complete armor, and will make the whole creation his weapons to punish his enemies: ¹⁸He will put on righteousness as a breastplate, and will wear impartial judgment as a helmet. ¹⁹He will take holiness as an invincible shield. ²⁰He will sharpen stern wrath for a sword. The universe will go with him to fight against his frenzied foes. ²¹Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim. They will leap to the mark from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow. ²²Hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult. The water of the sea will be angered against them. Rivers will sternly overwhelm them. ²³A mighty wind will encounter them. It will winnow them away like a tempest. So lawlessness will make all the land desolate. Their evil-doing will overturn the thrones of princes.