17 “Can a mortal be righteous before God?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?” (A)
18 If God puts no trust in his servants
and he charges his angels with foolishness,[a](B)
19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses,(C)
whose foundation is in the dust,
who are crushed like a moth!
20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;
they perish forever while no one notices.(D)
21 Are their tent cords not pulled up?
They die without wisdom.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 4:18 Or error; Hb obscure

17 ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God?
    Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’

18 “If God does not trust his own angels
    and has charged his messengers with foolishness,
19 how much less will he trust people made of clay!
    They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.
20 They are alive in the morning but dead by evening,
    gone forever without a trace.
21 Their tent-cords are pulled and the tent collapses,
    and they die in ignorance.

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