The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Solomon 03
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the
hand of God, and no torment will touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to
have died. Their departure was considered
a disaster,
3 and their travel away from us ruin,
but they are in peace.
4 For even if in the sight of men they are
punished, their hope is full of immortality.
5 Having borne a little chastening,they will
receive great good; because God tested them,
and found them worthy of himself.
6 He tested them like gold in the furnace,
and he accepted them as a whole
burnt offering.
7 In the time of their visitation they will
shine. They will run back and forth like
sparks among stubble.
8 They will judge nations and have dominion over peoples.
The Lord will reign over them forever.
9 Those who trust him will understand
truth. The faithful will live with him in love,
because grace and mercy are with his
chosen ones.
10 Butthe ungodly will be punished even as
their reasoning deserves, those who
neglected righteousness
and revolted from the Lord;
11 for he who despises wisdom and
discipline is miserable.
Their hope is void and their
toils unprofitable.
Their works are useless.
12 Their wives are foolish and their
children are wicked.
13 Their descendants are cursed.
For the barren woman who is undefiled is
happy, she who has not conceived in
transgression. She will have fruit
when God examines souls.
14 So is the eunuch which has done no
lawless deed with his hands,
nor imagined wicked things against
the Lord; for a precious gift will be given to him for
his faithfulness, and a delightful inheritance in the
Lord’s sanctuary.
15 For good labors have fruit of great
renown. The root of understanding can’t fail.
16 But children of adulterers will not come
to maturity. The seed of an unlawful union will
vanish away.
17 For if they live long, they will not be
esteemed, and in the end, their old age will be
without honor.
18 Ifthey die young, they will have no hope,
nor consolation in the day of judgment.
19 For the end of an unrighteous
generation is always grievous.