1But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.
2In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was considered a disaster,
3and their journey from us a destruction; but they are in peace.
4For even if in the sight of men they are punished, their hope is full of immortality.
5And having been disciplined a little, they will be greatly blessed, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself.
6Like gold in a furnace he tested them, and as a whole burnt offering he received them.
7And at the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and like sparks in stubble they will run about.
8They will judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them forever.
9Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful in love will remain with him, because grace and mercy are for his chosen ones.
10But the ungodly will have their punishment according to their own reasonings—those who neglected righteousness and turned away from the Lord.
11For wretched is the one who despises wisdom and discipline; their hope is empty, their labors unprofitable, and their works useless.
12Their wives are foolish, and their children wicked; accursed is their lineage.
13For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not known a bed in transgression; she will have fruit at the visitation of souls.
14And blessed is the eunuch who has not committed lawlessness with his hand, nor conceived wicked things against the Lord; for to him will be given a special grace for his faithfulness, and a more delightful inheritance in the temple of the Lord.
15For the fruit of good labors is glorious, and the root of wisdom is unfailing.
16But the children of adulterers will come to nothing, and the seed from a lawless bed will be wiped out.
17For even if they live long, they will be counted as nothing, and their old age at the end will be without honor.
18And if they die quickly, they have no hope, nor any comfort on the day of decision.
19For the end of an unrighteous generation is harsh.
Open in the interactive reader →