Study Desk

"They are wet from the mountain rains, And they hug the rock for lack of a shelter.

"From the city people groan, And the souls of the wounded cry for help; Yet God does not pay attention to the offensiveness.

"The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight, Saying, 'No eye will see me.' And he disguises his face.

"For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness, For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

"He wrongs the infertile woman, And does no good for the widow.

For as long as life is in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils,

"For what is the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life, When God requires his life?

Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread.

"The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; For it sweeps him away from his place.

"For it will hurl at him without mercy; He will certainly try to flee from its power.

"Certainly there is a mine for silver And a place for refining gold.

"Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

"Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold.

"For He looks to the ends of the earth; He sees everything under the heavens.

When He made a limit for the rain, And a course for the thunderbolt,

When my steps were bathed in cream, And the rock poured out streams of oil for me!

"For when an ear heard, it called me blessed, And when an eye saw, it testified in support of me,

Because I saved the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper.

"The blessing of the one who was about to perish came upon me, And I made the widow's heart sing for joy.

"To me they listened and waited, And they kept silent for my advice.