17 "Listen to me. I'll explain things to you. Let me tell you what I've seen.
18 I'll tell you what those who are wise have said. They don't hide anything they've received from their people of long ago.
19 The land was given only to those people. Their wisdom didn't come from outsiders. And here's what those who are wise have said.
20 Sinful people always suffer pain. Mean people suffer all their lives.
21 Terrifying sounds fill their ears. When everything seems to be going well, robbers attack them.
22 They lose all hope of escaping the darkness of death. They will certainly be killed with swords.
23 They wander around. They are like food for vultures. They know that the day they will die is near.