Wisdom of Solomon, 5

1. Then shall the just one with great assurance confront his oppressors who set at nought his labors.

1. Then the upright will stand up boldly to face those who had oppressed him and had thought so little of his sufferings.

2. Seeing this, they shall be shaken with dreadful fear, and amazed at the unlooked-for salvation.

2. And, seeing him, they will be seized with terrible fear, amazed that he should have been so unexpectedly saved.

3. They shall say among themselves, rueful and groaning through anguish of spirit: "This is he whom once we held as a laughingstock and as a type for mockery,

3. Stricken with remorse, they will say to one another with groans and labouring breath,

4. fools that we were! His life we accounted madness, and his death dishonored.

4. 'This is the one whom we used to mock, making him the butt of our insults, fools that we were! His life we regarded as madness, his ending as without honour.

5. See how he is accounted among the sons of God; how his lot is with the saints!

5. How has he come to be counted as one of the children of God and to have his lot among the holy ones?

6. We, then, have strayed from the way of truth, and the light of justice did not shine for us, and the sun did not rise for us.

6. Clearly we have strayed from the way of truth; the light of justice has not shone for us, the sun has not risen for us.

7. We had our fill of the ways of mischief and of ruin; we journeyed through impassable deserts, but the way of the LORD we knew not.

7. We have left no path of lawlessness or ruin unexplored, we have crossed deserts where there was no track, but the way of the Lord is one we have never known.

8. What did our pride avail us? What have wealth and its boastfulness afforded us?

8. What good has arrogance been to us? What has been the purpose of our riches and boastfulness?

9. All of them passed like a shadow and like a fleeting rumor;

9. All those things have passed like a shadow, passed like a fleeting rumour.

10. Like a ship traversing the heaving water, of which, when it has passed, no trace can be found, no path of its keel in the waves.

10. Like a ship that cuts through heaving waves -- leaving no trace to show where it has passed, no wake from its keel in the waves.

11. Or like a bird flying through the air; no evidence of its course is to be found- But the fluid air, lashed by the beat of pinions, and cleft by the rushing force Of speeding wings, is traversed: and afterward no mark of passage can be found in it.

11. Or like a bird flying through the air -- leaving no proof of its passing; it whips the light air with the stroke of its pinions, tears it apart in its whirring rush, drives its way onward with sweeping wing, and afterwards no sign is seen of its passage.

12. Or as, when an arrow has been shot at a mark, the parted air straightway flows together again so that none discerns the way it went through-

12. Or like an arrow shot at a mark, the pierced air closing so quickly on itself, there is no knowing which way the arrow has passed.

13. Even so we, once born, abruptly came to nought and held no sign of virtue to display, but were consumed in our wickedness."

13. So with us: scarcely born, we disappear; of virtue not a trace have we to show, we have spent ourselves in our own wickedness!'

14. Yes, the hope of the wicked is like thistledown borne on the wind, and like fine, tempest-driven foam; Like smoke scattered by the wind, and like the passing memory of the nomad camping for a single day.

14. For the hope of the godless is like chaff carried on the wind, like fine spray driven by the storm; it disperses like smoke before the wind, goes away like the memory of a one-day guest.

15. But the just live forever, and in the LORD is their recompense, and the thought of them is with the Most High.

15. But the upright live for ever, their recompense is with the Lord, and the Most High takes care of them.

16. Therefore shall they receive the splendid crown, the beauteous diadem, from the hand of the LORD- For he shall shelter them with his right hand, and protect them with his arm.

16. So they will receive the glorious crown and the diadem of beauty from the Lord's hand; for he will shelter them with his right hand and with his arm he will shield them.

17. He shall take his zeal for armor and he shall arm creation to requite the enemy;

17. For armour he will take his jealous love, he will arm creation to punish his enemies;

18. He shall don justice for a breastplate and shall wear sure judgment for a helmet;

18. he will put on justice as a breastplate, and for helmet wear his forthright judgement;

19. He shall take invincible rectitude as a shield

19. he will take up invincible holiness for shield,

20. and whet his sudden anger for a sword, And the universe shall war with him against the foolhardy.

20. of his pitiless wrath he will forge a sword, and the universe will march with him to fight the reckless.

21. Well-aimed shafts of lightnings shall go forth and from the clouds as from a well-drawn bow shall leap to the mark;

21. Bolts truly aimed, the shafts of lightning will leap, and from the clouds, as from a full-drawn bow, fly to their mark;

22. and as from his sling, wrathful hailstones shall be hurled. The water of the sea shall be enraged against them and the streams shall abruptly overflow;

22. and the catapult will hurl hailstones charged with fury. The waters of the sea will rage against them, the rivers engulf them without pity,

23. A mighty wind shall confront them and a tempest winnow them out; Thus lawlessness shall lay the whole earth waste and evildoing overturn the thrones of potentates.

23. a mighty gale will rise against them and winnow them like a hurricane. Thus wickedness will lay the whole earth waste and evil-doing bring down the thrones of the mighty.