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Wisdom 3
The destinies of good and bad men compared
1 But the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster,
3 their leaving us, like annihilation; but they are in peace.
4 If they experienced punishment as men see it, their hope was rich with immortality;
5 slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be. God has put them to the test and proved them worthy to be with him;
6 he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a holocaust.
7 When the time comes for his visitation they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.
8 They shall judge nations, rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king for ever.
9 They who trust in him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love; for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.
10 But the godless will be duly punished for their reasoning, for neglecting the virtuous man and deserting the Lord.
11 Yes, wretched are they who scorn wisdom and discipline:[*a] their hope is void, their toil unavailing, their achievements unprofitable;
12 their wives are reckless, their children depraved, their descendants accursed.
Better be barren than have godless children
13 Blessed the barren woman[*b] if she be blameless, she who has known no guilty bed; her fruitfulness will be seen at the scrutiny of souls.
14 Blessed, too, the eunuch[*c] whose hand has committed no crime, who has contemplated no wrong against the Lord; for his loyalty special favour will be granted him, a most desirable portion in the temple of the Lord.
15 For the fruit of honest labours is glorious, and the root of understanding does not decay.
16 But children of adulterers,[*d] these shall have no future, the offspring of an unlawful bed must vanish.
17 Even if they live long, they will count for nothing, their old age will go unhonoured at the last;
18 while if they die early, they have neither hope nor comfort on the day of doom.
19 Yes, harsh is the fate of a race of evil-doers.