1 Then the righteous man will stand with confidence In the presence of those who afflict him; And those who reject his labors,
2 When they see him, will be shaken with dreadful fear; And they shall be amazed at his unexpected salvation.
3 They will speak among themselves with regret, And in anguish of spirit they will groan and say,
4 “This is the man whom we fools once held in derision And made a by word of disgrace. We considered his life to be madness And his death as without honor.
5 How has he been numbered among the sons of God? And how is his portion among the saints?
6 Therefore we went astray from the way of truth, For the light of righteousness did not shine on us, And the sun did not rise upon us.
7 We were satisfied with the paths of lawlessness, And we traveled through impassable deserts; But the way of the Lord we have not known.
8 What has arrogance profited us? And how has our wealth with its false pretension helped us?
9 “All those things have passed by like a shadow And like news that escapes notice;
10 Like a ship that passes through the waves of water, Which after passing through, no trace can be found, Nor the pathway of its keel in the waves;
11 Or like a bird, when it flies through the air, No proof of its journey is found; And the light air, whipped by the beating of its pinions And divided by the force of its rushing motion, Is traveled through by the movement of its wings, But after this no sign of its approach is found therein;
12 Or like an arrow, when it is shot at an object, The divided air immediately comes together, So that no one knows its pathway.
13 Thus we also, after we are born, come to an end, Yet have no sign of virtue to show, But have been entirely consumed in our vice.”
14 Because the hope of the ungodly man Is like dust carried by the wind And like a light frost driven away by a storm, It is dispersed like smoke before the wind, And it passes like the remembrance of a guest Who stay s only one day.
15 But the righteous live forever, And their reward is with the Lord; And their care is by the Most High.
16 Therefore they shall receive a kingly dwelling of dignity And a crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord, Because He will shelter them with His right hand And protect them with His arm.
17 He will take His zeal as His full armor And will turn His creation into weapons against His enemies.
18 He will wear righteousness as a breastplate And put on impartial judgment as a helmet.
19 He will take holiness as an unconquerable shield
20 And sharpen His relentless wrath for a sword; And creation will fight with Him against the senseless.
21 Well-aimed flashes of lightning will strike And leap to their object as from a well-drawn bow of clouds;
22 And hailstones full of anger will be hurled As from an engine of war. The water of the sea will be vexed with them, And the rivers will wash over them severely .
23 A powerful wind will oppose them, And like a storm it will winnow them away. Lawlessness will lay waste all the earth, And wrongdoing will overturn the thrones of rulers.