Psalms 73:3-11

73:3 For I envied those who are proud,

as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.

73:4 For they suffer no pain;

their bodies are strong and well-fed.

73:5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;

they do not suffer as other men do.

73:6 Arrogance is their necklace,

and violence their clothing.

73:7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong;

their thoughts are sinful.

73:8 They mock and say evil things;

they proudly threaten violence.

73:9 They speak as if they rule in heaven,

and lay claim to the earth.

73:10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,

and even suck up the water of the sea.

73:11 They say, “How does God know what we do?

Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?”

Esther 5:11

5:11 Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth, his many sons, and how the king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and servants.

Job 5:3

5:3 I myself have seen the fool taking root,

but suddenly I cursed his place of residence.

Job 21:7-17

The Wicked Prosper

21:7 “Why do the wicked go on living,

grow old, even increase in power?

21:8 Their children are firmly established

in their presence,

their offspring before their eyes.

21:9 Their houses are safe and without fear;

and no rod of punishment from God is upon them.

21:10 Their bulls breed without fail;

their cows calve and do not miscarry.

21:11 They allow their children to run like a flock;

their little ones dance about.

21:12 They sing to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp,

and make merry to the sound of the flute.

21:13 They live out their years in prosperity

and go down to the grave in peace.

21:14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!

We do not want to know your ways.

21:15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?

What would we gain

if we were to pray to him?’

21:16 But their prosperity is not their own doing.

The counsel of the wicked is far from me!

How Often Do the Wicked Suffer?

21:17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished?

How often does their misfortune come upon them?

How often does God apportion pain to them in his anger?

Isaiah 14:14-19

14:14 I will climb up to the tops of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High!”

14:15 But you were brought down to Sheol,

to the remote slopes of the pit.

14:16 Those who see you stare at you,

they look at you carefully, thinking:

“Is this the man who shook the earth,

the one who made kingdoms tremble?

14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,

who ruined its cities,

and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’

14:18 As for all the kings of the nations,

all of them lie down in splendor,

each in his own tomb.

14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave

like a shoot that is thrown away.

You lie among the slain,

among those who have been slashed by the sword,

among those headed for the stones of the pit,

as if you were a mangled corpse.