24. That dark day terrifies them.They live in distress and anguish,like a king preparing for battle.
25. For they shake their fists at God,defying the Almighty.
26. Holding their strong shields,they defiantly charge against him.
27. “These wicked people are heavy and prosperous;their waists bulge with fat.
28. But their cities will be ruined.They will live in abandoned housesthat are ready to tumble down.
29. Their riches will not last,and their wealth will not endure.Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.
30. “They will not escape the darkness.The burning sun will wither their shoots,and the breath of God will destroy them.
31. Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches,for emptiness will be their only reward.
32. They will be cut down in the prime of life;their branches will never again be green.
33. They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early,like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form.
34. For the godless are barren.Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn.
35. They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.Their womb produces deceit.”