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10 Let us oppress the righteous poor;
    let us neither spare the widow
    nor revere the aged for hair grown white with time.(A)
11 But let our strength be our norm of righteousness;
    for weakness proves itself useless.

12 [a]Let us lie in wait for the righteous one, because he is annoying to us;
    he opposes our actions,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law[b]
    and charges us with violations of our training.(B)
13 He professes to have knowledge of God
    and styles himself a child of the Lord.(C)
14 To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
    merely to see him is a hardship for us,(D)
15 Because his life is not like that of others,
    and different are his ways.
16 He judges us debased;
    he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the righteous
    and boasts that God is his Father.(E)

17 Let us see whether his words be true;
    let us find out what will happen to him in the end.(F)
18 For if the righteous one is the son of God, God will help him
    and deliver him from the hand of his foes.(G)
19 With violence and torture let us put him to the test
    that we may have proof of his gentleness
    and try his patience.
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
    for according to his own words, God will take care of him.”(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 2:12–5:23 From 2:12 to 5:23 the author draws heavily on Is 52–62, setting forth his teaching in a series of characters or types taken from Isaiah and embellished with additional details from other texts. The description of the “righteous one” in 2:12–20 seems to undergird the New Testament passion narrative.
  2. 2:12 Law: the law of Moses; “training” has the same meaning.
'Wisdom 2:10-20' not found for the version: New International Version.