2How long will you go on saying these things?
Your wordsa are a blast of wind.b
3Does God pervert justice?a
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?b
4Since your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to their rebellion.
5But if you earnestly seeka God
and ask the Almighty for mercy,b
6if you are pure and upright,
then he will move even now on your behalf
and restore the home where your righteousness dwells.a
7Then, even if your beginnings were modest,
your final days will be full of prosperity.a
8For ask the previous generation,
and pay attention to what their ancestors discovered,a
9since we were born only yesterday and know nothing.
Our days on earth are but a shadow.a
10Will they not teach you and tell you
and speak from their understanding?
11Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Do reeds flourish without water?
12While still uncut shoots,
they would dry up quicker than any other plant.
13Such is the destinyA of all who forget God;
the hope of the godlessa will perish.
14His source of confidence is fragile;A
what he trusts in is a spider’s web.a
15He leans on his web, but it doesn’t stand firm.
He grabs it, but it does not hold up.
16He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine;
his shoots spread out over his garden.
17His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks.
He looks for a home among the stones.
18If he is uprootedA from his place,
it will deny knowing him, saying, “I never saw you.”a
19Surely this is the joy of his way of life;
yet others will sprout from the dust.
20Look, God does not reject a person of integrity,
and he will not supportA evildoers.a
21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with a shout of joy.a
22Your enemies will be clothed with shame;a
the tentb of the wicked will no longer exist.
