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It is the same with us - we were born, and then we ceased to be. We left no sign of virtue behind us; we were destroyed by our wickedness."
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What hope do wicked people have? Only the hope of straw blown about in the wind, the hope of ocean foam that disappears in the storm, the hope of smoke in the breeze. Their hope lasts no longer than our memory of a guest who stays one day and leaves the next.
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But the righteous live on forever. The Lord will reward them; the Most High will protect them.
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He will give them royal splendor and a magnificent crown. He will shield them with his powerful arm.
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He will go out into battle determined to defeat his enemies, and use the creation itself as a weapon.
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Righteousness will be his armor, genuine justice will be his helmet,
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holiness will be his invincible shield.
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He will sharpen his stern anger into a sword, and the forces of nature will join him in battle against those who are foolish enough to oppose him.
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Bolts of lightning will strike right on target, as if the Lord had made a bow out of the clouds and was shooting arrows.
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Hailstones will beat down on his enemies with terrible force. The oceans and rivers will come rushing over them in a devastating flood.
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Great windstorms will blow them away like straw. Lawlessness will be the ruin of the whole world. Evil actions will cause governments to fall.