1Then just [or rightwise] men shall stand in great steadfastness against them that anguished them, and which took away their travails.

2They shall see, and shall be disturbed with horrible dread, and they shall wonder in the suddenty of their health unhoped [or shall marvel in the suddenness of the unhoped health];

3and they shall wail for anguish of spirit, and they shall say, doing penance within themselves, and wailing for the anguish of spirit, These men it be, which we had sometime into scorn, and into like-ness of upbraiding.

4We mad men guessed their life madness, and the end of them without honour;

5how therefore be they reckoned [or counted] among the sons of God, and their part [or lot] is among saints?

6Therefore we erred from the way of truth, and the light of rightfulness [or of rightwiseness] shined not to us, and the sun of understanding rose not up to us.

7We were made weary in the way of wickedness and of perdition; and we went [or we have gone] hard ways. But we knew not the way of the Lord;

8what profited pride to us, either what brought the boast of riches to us?

9All those things passed as shadow, and as a messenger before running [or as a messenger running before].

10And as a ship, that passeth through the flowing water, of [the] which when it hath passed, it is not to find a step, neither the path of the bottom thereof in waves.

11Either as a bird, that flyeth over in the air, of which no proof [or evidence] is found of the way thereof, but only the sound of wings beating light wind, and carving [or cutting] the air by the might of way, and with wings moved together it flew over, and after this no sign is found of the way thereof [or of his way].

12Either as an arrow shot out into a place ordained, the air is parted, and is closed again anon, that the passing thereof be not known.

13Right so we born ceased anon to be, and soothly we might show no sign of virtue; but we were wasted in our malice. They that sinned, said such things in hell.

14For the hope of a wicked man [or the unpious] is as the flower of a briar, [or thistledown], which is taken away of the wind, and as small froth [or foam] which is scattered abroad of a tempest, and as smoke which is spread abroad of wind, and as the mind of a guest of one day, that passeth forth.

15But just [or rightwise] men shall live without end, and the meed of them is with the Lord; and the thought of them is with the Highest.

16Therefore they shall take of the hand of the Lord the realm of fairness, and a diadem of comeliness; for he shall govern them with his right hand, and he shall defend them with his holy arm. [Therefore they shall take the realm of worship, and the diadem of fairness of the hand of the Lord; for with his right hand he shall cover them, and with his holy arm defend them.]

17And his fervent love [or the jealousy of him] shall take armour, and he shall arm the creature to the vengeance of enemies.

18He shall clothe rightfulness for an habergeon, and he shall take certain doom for a basinet; [He shall clothe for the breastplate rightwiseness, and he shall take for the helmet certain doom;]

19he shall take a shield that may not be overcome, equity, either evenness; [he shall take the shield unquenchable equity;]

20forsooth he shall whet [or sharpen] hard wrath into a spear, and the world shall fight with him against unwitting men [or against the unwise].

21Straight sendings-out of lightnings shall go, and as the sides of a rainbow, when the bow of clouds is crooked, they shall be destroyed; and they shall skip into a certain place. [The sendings-out of lightnings shall go even right, and as at the teasing the bow of clouds bent, they shall be outlawed; and to a certain place they shall leap in.]

22And full hailstones shall be sent from a stony wrath, and the water of the sea shall wax white against them, and floods shall run altogether hard.

23The spirit of virtue shall stand against them, and as the whirling of wind it shall part them; and the wickedness of them shall bring all the land to desert, and malice shall destroy the seats of mighty men. Wisdom is better than strengths, and a prudent man doeth more than a strong man.