¹¹ “Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh?
    Can marsh grass flourish without water?
¹² While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut,
    they begin to wither more quickly than grass.
¹³ The same happens to all who forget God.
    The hopes of the godless evaporate.
¹⁴ Their confidence hangs by a thread.
    They are leaning on a spider’s web.
¹⁵ They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last.
    They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.
¹⁶ The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine,
    its branches spreading across the garden.
¹⁷ Its roots grow down through a pile of stones;
    it takes hold on a bed of rocks.
¹⁸ But when it is uprooted,
    it’s as though it never existed!
¹⁹ That’s the end of its life,
    and others spring up from the earth to replace it.