1
On that day someone righteous, full of confidence, will stand before those who oppressed him and made light of his labors.
2
They will be amazed to see him safe and will tremble with terrible fear.
3
Then they will regret what they did, and groaning in anguish they will say to each other:
4
"This is the one we made fun of. We thought he was a joke. What fools we were! We thought he was crazy to live the way he did, and when he died, we didn't honor him.
5
And now here he is, one of God's own children, with a place of his own among God's people.
6
We were the ones who wandered off the right road. We never lived in the light of righteousness; we never caught the first glimmer of its light.
7
All our lives we wandered across unmarked deserts, instead of following the road which the Lord wanted us to travel. And this lawlessness led us to ruin.
8
We were so proud of ourselves - we bragged about how rich we were - and now, what good has it done us?
9
All those things are gone now; they have disappeared like a shadow, like something you hear and then forget.
10
"A ship sails across the waves of the ocean, but when it is gone, it leaves no trace. You cannot tell it was ever there.
11
A bird flies through the air, but leaves no sign that it has been there. It speeds along, riding through the thin air by the force of its wings, leaving behind no trace of its passing.