11 A man who has no use for wisdom or education has a miserable life in store for him. He has nothing to hope for. His labours are useless, and he will never accomplish anything worth while.
12 The woman he marries will turn out to be irresponsible, and his children will go wrong.
13 All his descendants will be under a curse.On Judgement Day God will reward the woman who has never been able to have a child, provided she has not been guilty of adultery. Then she will be happy.
14 On that day, even the man who has been castrated will be rewarded with happiness, if he has kept the Law and has not stored up resentment against the Lord. Because he has been faithful, he will receive a special reward more precious than having children: a place in the Lord's heavenly Temple.
15 Honest deeds are like a tree that bears marvellous fruit. Wisdom is like a root that is alive and can always send up new shoots.
16 But children born of adultery or of a forbidden union will die an early death.
17 Yet even if they do live a long time, they will never amount to anything. They will not be respected in their old age,