The Destiny of the Righteous

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, the righteous appear to die;

their passing is considered a misfortune.

³They seem to be on their way to destruction,

but they are really at peace.

⁴And though they appear to suffer punishment,

immortality has made their hope complete.

⁵The righteous may suffer a little in this life,

but they will be well rewarded,

for God has tested them

and found them worthy to join him.

⁶He has tried them like gold purified by fire

and has accepted them as he accepts a whole burnt offering.

⁷In their time of judgment, the righteous will shine;

they will destroy their enemies.

⁸They will govern nations and rule over people,

and the Lord will reign over them forever.

⁹Those who trust in the Lord will understand truth,

and the faithful will live with him in love.

For he shows grace and mercy to his chosen ones.

The Destiny of the Wicked

¹⁰But the wicked will be punished as their thoughts deserve,

for they neglected justice and rebelled against the Lord.

¹¹Those who reject wisdom and instruction are miserable;

their hope is in vain,

their labors bear no fruit,

and their work is pointless.

¹²Their wives are foolish,

their children are depraved,

and their offspring are cursed.

The Rewards of Righteousness

¹³God blesses the childless woman who remains pure,

who has not entered into a sinful sexual relationship.

She will be rewarded when God comes to judge people.

¹⁴God also blesses the eunuch whose hands have done no wrong,

who has no wicked thoughts against the Lord.

Special favor will be given to him for his faithfulness,

and he will be given a place of honor in the Lord’s Temple.

¹⁵For everyone knows that good labor yields good fruit,

and wisdom is a strong and nourishing root.

¹⁶But the children of adulterers will not reach maturity;

the offspring of a sinful relationship will disappear.

¹⁷Even if they live long, they will not be esteemed;

they will receive no honor in their old age.

¹⁸And if they die young, they will have no hope

and no consolation on the day of judgment,

¹⁹for harsh is the end of a wicked generation.