Immerse: Poets Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 300
288
IMMERSE
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POETS
and say all these evil things?
Can any mortal be pure?
Can anyone born of a woman be just?
Look, God does not even trust the angels.
Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.
How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person
with a thirst for wickedness!
“If you will listen, I will show you.
I will answer you from my own experience.
And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men
who have heard the same thing from their fathers—
from those to whom the land was given
long before any foreigners arrived.
“The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives.
Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.
The sound of terror rings in their ears,
and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.
They dare not go out into the darkness
for fear they will be murdered.
They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’
They know their day of destruction is near.
That dark day terrifies them.
They live in distress and anguish,
like a king preparing for battle.
For they shake their fists at God,
defying the Almighty.
Holding their strong shields,
they defiantly charge against him.
“These wicked people are heavy and prosperous;
their waists bulge with fat.
But their cities will be ruined.
They will live in abandoned houses
that are ready to tumble down.
Their riches will not last,
and their wealth will not endure.
Their possessions will no longer spread across
the horizon.
“They will not escape the darkness.
The burning sun will wither their shoots,
and the breath of God will destroy them.
15:14-30