1-2. Be patient and listen a little longerto what I am saying on God's behalf.
3. My knowledge is wide; I will use what I knowto show that God, my Creator, is just.
4. Nothing I say to you is false;you see before you a truly wise man.
5. How strong God is! He despises no one;there is nothing he doesn't understand.
6. He does not let sinners live on,and he always treats the poor with justice.
7. He protects those who are righteous;he allows them to rule like kingsand lets them be honoured for ever.
8. But if people are bound in chains,suffering for what they have done,
9. God shows them their sins and their pride.
10. He makes them listen to his warningto turn away from evil.
11. If they obey God and serve him,they live out their lives in peace and prosperity.
12. But if not, they will die in ignoranceand cross the stream into the world of the dead.
13. Those who are godless keep on being angry,and even when punished, they don't pray for help.
14. They die while they are still young,worn out by a life of disgrace.