21 Then the God who watches over all things, the first father of all, holy among the holy ones, heard this lawful prayer and scourged the one who had claimed too much for himself in his violence and arrogance.
22 God shook him this way and that as a reed is shaken by the wind, with the result that he lay helpless on the ground. His limbs were paralyzed, and he was unable to speak, since he was struck by a just judgment.
23 His friends and bodyguards saw that the punishment that had seized him was severe. Fearing that even his life might fail, they quickly dragged him out, since they were terror-stricken.
24 After a while, the king recovered, and even though he had been punished, he didn’t change his heart and mind at all, but went away issuing bitter threats.
25 When he had returned to Egypt, he added to his evil deeds with the assistance of his drinking companions and friends, who were strangers to everything just.
26 He wasn’t satisfied with his innumerable indecent acts, but he also advanced to such a degree of impudence that he circulated false reports in the various districts. Many of his friends took note of the king’s purpose and followed his lead.
27 He proposed to spread blame publicly against the Jewish nation. He set up a stone near the tower in the courtyard with the following inscription carved upon it: