12 A word was brought to me in secret;

my ears caught a whisper of it.s

13 Among unsettling thoughts from visions in the night,t

when deep sleepu comes over men,

14 fear and trembling came over mev

and made all my bones shake.

15 I felt a draftD on my face,

and the hair on my body stood up.

16 A figure stood there,

but I could not recognize its appearance;

a form loomed before my eyes.

I heard a whispering voice:

17 “Can a mortal be righteous before God?

Can a man be more pure than his Maker?”w

18 If God puts no trust in his servants

and he charges his angels with foolishness,E,x

19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses,y

whose foundation is in the dust,

who are crushed like a moth!

20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;

they perish forever while no one notices.z

21 Are their tent cords not pulled up?

They die without wisdom.aa