¹² “Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
^13 (A)In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
¹⁴ Fear came upon me, and ^(B)trembling,
Which made all my bones shake.
¹⁵ Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my body stood up.
¹⁶ It stood still,
But I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence;
Then I heard a voice saying:
¹⁷ ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
¹⁸ If He ^(C)puts no trust in His servants,
If He charges His angels with error,
¹⁹ How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before a moth?
^20 (D)They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
They perish forever, with no one regarding.
²¹ Does not their own excellence go away?
They die, even without wisdom.’