4:16: The righteous man who had died will condemn
the ungodly who are living,
and youth that is quickly perfected will condemn
the prolonged old age of the unrighteous man.
17: For they will see the end of the wise man,
and will not understand what the Lord purposed for him,
and for what he kept him safe.
18: They will see, and will have contempt for him,
but the Lord will laugh them to scorn.
After this they will become dishonored corpses,
and an outrage among the dead for ever;
19: because he will dash them speechless to the ground,
and shake them from the foundations;
they will be left utterly dry and barren,
and they will suffer anguish,
and the memory of them will perish.
20: They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,
and their lawless deeds will convict them to their face.
5:1: Then the righteous man will stand with great confidence
in the presence of those who have afflicted him,
and those who make light of his labors.
2: When they see him, they will be shaken with dreadful fear,
and they will be amazed at his unexpected salvation.
3: They will speak to one another in repentance,
and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,
4: "This is the man whom we once held in derision
and made a byword of reproach -- we fools!
We thought that his life was madness
and that his end was without honor.
5: Why has he been numbered among the sons of God?
And why is his lot among the saints?
6: So it was we who strayed from the way of truth,
and the light of righteousness did not shine on us,
and the sun did not rise upon us.
7: We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction,
and we journeyed through trackless deserts,
but the way of the Lord we have not known.
8: What has our arrogance profited us?
And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?
Web Author: Charles Wohlers
The Lectionary Page