Job 21:7–18

⁷Why do sinful people keep on living?

The older they grow, the richer they get.

⁸They see their children grow up around them.

They watch their family increase in number.

⁹Their homes are safe.

They don’t have to be afraid.

God isn’t punishing them.

¹⁰Every time their bulls mate, their cows become pregnant.

And the calves don’t die before they are born.

¹¹Sinful people send their children out like a flock of lambs.

Their little ones dance around.

¹²They sing to the music of tambourines and harps.

They have a good time while flutes are being played.

¹³Those who are evil spend their years living well.

They go down to their graves in peace.

¹⁴But they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!

We don’t want to know how you want us to live.

¹⁵Who is the Mighty One? Why should we serve him?

What would we get if we prayed to him?’

¹⁶But they aren’t in control of their own success.

So I don’t pay any attention to the advice they give.

¹⁷“How often are their lamps blown out?

How often does trouble come on them?

How often does God punish them when he’s angry?

¹⁸How often are they like dried-up seed coverings blowing in the wind?

How often are they like straw swept away by a storm?