21. Voices of terror will scream in their ears,and robbers attack when they think they are safe.
22. They have no hope of escaping from darkness,for somewhere a sword is waiting to kill them,
23. and vultures are waiting to eat their corpses.They know their future is dark;
24. disaster, like a powerful king,is waiting to attack them.
25. That is the fate of thosewho shake their fists at Godand defy the Almighty.
26-27. They are proud and rebellious;they stubbornly hold up their shieldsand rush to fight against God.
28. They are the ones who captured citiesand seized houses whose owners had fled,but war will destroy those cities and houses.
29. They will not remain rich for long;nothing they own will last.Even their shadows will vanish,
30. and they will not escape from darkness.They will be like treeswhose branches are burnt by fire,whose blossoms are blown away by the wind.
31. If they are foolish enough to trust in evil,then evil will be their reward.
32. Before their time is up they will wither,wither like a branch and never be green again.
33. They will be like vines that lose their unripe grapes;like olive trees that drop their blossoms.
34. There will be no descendants for godless people,and fire will destroy the homes built by bribery.