4
"This is the man whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach -- we fools! We thought that his life was madness and that his end was without honor.
5
Why has he been numbered among the sons of God? And why is his lot among the saints?
6
So it was we who strayed from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine on us, and the sun did not rise upon us.
7
We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction, and we journeyed through trackless deserts, but the way of the Lord we have not known.
8
What has our arrogance profited us? And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.