17 Listen to me and I will inform you.
I will describe what I have seen,
18 what the wise have declared and not concealed,
that came from their ancestors,(A)
19 to whom alone the land was given
when no foreigner passed among them.
20 A wicked person writhes in pain all his days,
throughout the number of years reserved for the ruthless.
21 Dreadful sounds fill his ears;
when he is at peace, a robber attacks him.
22 He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness;
he is destined for the sword.(B)
23 He wanders about for food, asking, “Where is it?”
He knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Trouble(C) and distress terrify him,
overwhelming him like a king prepared for battle.
25 For he has stretched out his hand(D) against God
and has arrogantly opposed the Almighty.
26 He rushes headlong at him
with his thick, studded shields.
27 Though his face is covered with fat[a]
and his waistline bulges with it,
28 he will dwell in ruined cities,
in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble.(E)
29 He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure.
His possessions[b] will not increase in the land.
30 He will not escape from the darkness;
flames will wither his shoots,
and by the breath of God’s mouth, he will depart.(F)
31 Let him not put trust in worthless things, being led astray,
for what he gets in exchange will prove worthless.
32 It will be accomplished before his time,
and his branch will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine that drops its unripe grapes(G)
and like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless(H) will have no children,
and fire will consume the tents of those who offer bribes.
35 They conceive trouble(I) and give birth to evil;
their womb(J) prepares deception.(K)

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Footnotes

  1. 15:27 Lit with his fat
  2. 15:29 Text emended; MT reads Their gain

17 “I will show you; listen to me;
    what I have seen I will declare—
18 what sages have told
    and their ancestors have not hidden,(A)
19 to whom alone the land was given,
    and no stranger passed among them.
20 The wicked writhe in pain all their days,
    through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless.(B)
21 Terrifying sounds are in their ears;
    in prosperity the destroyer will come upon them.(C)
22 They despair of returning from darkness,
    and they are destined for the sword.(D)
23 They wander abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
    They know that a day of darkness is ready at hand;(E)
24 distress and anguish terrify them;
    they prevail against them like a king prepared for battle.
25 Because they stretched out their hands against God
    and bid defiance to the Almighty,[a](F)
26 running stubbornly against him
    with a thickly bossed shield;
27 because they have covered their faces with their fat
    and gathered fat upon their loins,(G)
28 they will live in desolate cities,
    in houses that no one should inhabit,
    houses destined to become heaps of ruins;
29 they will not be rich, and their wealth will not endure,
    nor will they strike root in the earth;[b](H)
30 they will not escape from darkness;
    the flame will dry up their shoots,
    and their blossom[c] will be swept away by the wind.(I)
31 Let them not trust in emptiness, deceiving themselves,
    for emptiness will be their recompense.(J)
32 It will be paid in full before their time,
    and their branch will not be green.(K)
33 They will shake off their unripe grape, like the vine,
    and cast off their blossoms, like the olive tree.(L)
34 For the company of the godless is barren,
    and fire consumes the tents of bribery.(M)
35 They conceive mischief and bring forth evil,
    and their belly prepares deceit.”(N)

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Footnotes

  1. 15.25 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
  2. 15.29 Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  3. 15.30 Gk: Heb mouth