8:8 “For inquire now of the former generation,
and pay attention to the findings
of their ancestors;
8:9 For we were born yesterday and do not have knowledge,
since our days on earth are but a shadow.
8:10 Will they not instruct you and speak to you,
and bring forth words
from their understanding?
8:11 Can the papyrus plant grow tall where there is no marsh?
Can reeds flourish without water?
8:12 While they are still beginning to flower
and not ripe for cutting,
they can wither away
faster than any grass!
8:13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
the hope of the godless perishes,
8:14 whose trust is in something futile,
whose security is a spider’s web.
8:15 He leans against his house but it does not hold up,
he takes hold of it but it does not stand.
8:16 He is a well-watered plant in the sun,
its shoots spread over its garden.
8:17 It wraps its roots around a heap of stones
and it looks for a place among stones.
8:18 If he is uprooted from his place,
then that place will disown him, saying,
‘I have never seen you!’
8:19 Indeed, this is the joy of his way,
and out of the earth others spring up.