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3:1  The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.
3:2  They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction
3:3  and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace.
3:4  For if to others, indeed, they seem punished, yet is their hope full of immortality;
3:5  Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.
3:6  As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
3:7  In the time of their judgment they shall shine and dart about as sparks through stubble;
3:8  They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever.
3:9  Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.
3:10  But the wicked shall receive a punishment to match their thoughts, since they neglected righteousness and forsook the Lord.
3:11  For those who despise wisdom and instruction are doomed. Vain is their hope, fruitless their labors, and worthless their works.
3:12  Their wives are foolish and their children wicked, accursed their brood.
3:13  Yes, blessed is she who, childless and undefiled, never knew transgression of the marriage bed; for she shall bear fruit at the judgment of souls.
3:14  So also the eunuch whose hand wrought no misdeed, who held no wicked thoughts against the Lord— For he shall be given fidelity’s choice reward and a more gratifying heritage in the Lord’s temple.
3:15  For the fruit of noble struggles is a glorious one; and unfailing is the root of understanding.
3:16  But the children of adulterers will remain without issue, and the progeny of an unlawful bed will disappear.
3:17  For should they attain long life, they will be held in no esteem, and dishonored will their old age be in the end;
3:18  Should they die abruptly, they will have no hope nor comfort in the day of scrutiny;
3:19  for dire is the end of the wicked generation.