Job 21:7–18

^7oWhy do the wicked live,

reach old age, and grow mighty in power?

⁸Their ^poffspring are established in their presence,

and their descendants before their eyes.

⁹Their houses are ^qsafe from fear,

and ^rno rod of God is upon them.

¹⁰Their bull breeds without fail;

their cow calves and ^sdoes not miscarry.

¹¹They send out their ^tlittle boys like a flock,

and their children dance.

¹²They sing to ^uthe tambourine and ^vthe lyre

and rejoice to the sound of ^vthe pipe.

¹³They ^wspend their days in prosperity,

and in ^xpeace they go down to ^ySheol.

¹⁴They say to God, ^z‘Depart from us!

We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.

^15aWhat is the Almighty, that we should serve him?

And what ^bprofit do we get if we pray to him?’

¹⁶Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?

^cThe counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷“How often is it that ^dthe lamp of the wicked is put out?

That their calamity comes upon them?

That God¹ distributes pains in his anger?

¹⁸That they are like ^estraw before the wind,

and like ^fchaff that the storm carries away?