8. You were a powerful man who owned land;you were honored and lived in the land.
9. But you sent widows away empty-handed,and you mistreated orphans.
10. That is why traps are all around youand sudden danger frightens you.
11. That is why it is so dark you cannot seeand a flood of water covers you.
12. “God is in the highest part of heaven.See how high the highest stars are!
13. But you ask, ‘What does God know?Can he judge us through the dark clouds?
14. Thick clouds cover him so he cannot see usas he walks around high up in the sky.’
15. Are you going to stay on the old pathwhere evil people walk?
16. They were carried away before their time was up,and their foundations were washed away by a flood.
17. They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!The Almighty can do nothing to us.’
18. But it was God who filled their houses with good things.Their way of thinking is different from mine.
19. “Good people can watch and be glad;the innocent can laugh at them and say,
20. ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed,and fire burns up their wealth.’
21. “Obey God and be at peace with him;this is the way to happiness.