1
Woe to you who work godlessness, And glory in lying, and extol them: You shall perish, and no happy life shall be yours.
2
Woe to them who pervert the words of uprightness, And transgress the eternal law, And transform themselves into what they were not [into sinners]: They shall be trodden under foot upon the earth.
3
In those days make ready, you righteous, to raise your prayers as a memorial, And place them as a testimony before the mal’akhiym, That they may place the sin of the sinners for a memorial before the El Elyon.
4
In those days the nations shall be stirred up, And the families of the nations shall arise on the day of destruction.
5
And in those days the destitute shall go forth and carry off their children, And they shall abandon them, so that their children shall perish through them: Yea, they shall abandon their children (that are still) sucklings, and not return to them, And shall have no pity on their beloved ones.
6
And again I swear to you, you sinners, that sin is prepared for a day of unceasing bloodshed. 7. And they who worship stones, and grave images of gold and silver and wood ‹and stone› and clay, and those who worship impure spirits and demons, and all kinds of idols not according to knowledge, shall get no manner of help from them.
8
And they shall become irreverent by reason of the folly of their hearts, And their eyes shall be blinded through the fear of their hearts, And through visions in their dreams. 9. Through these they shall become irreverent and fearful; For they shall have wrought all their work in a lie, And shall have worshipped a stone: Therefore in an instant shall they perish.
10
But in those days blessed are all they who accept the words of wisdom, and understand them, And observe the paths of the El Elyon, and walk in the path of His righteousness, And become not irreverent with the irreverent; For they shall be saved.
11
Woe to you who spread evil to your neighbours; For you shall be slain in Sheol. 12. Woe to you who make deceitful and false measures, And (to them) who cause bitterness on the earth; For they shall thereby be utterly consumed.
13
Woe to you who build your houses through the grievous toil of others, And all their building materials are the bricks and stones of sin; I tell you you shall have no peace.
14
Woe to them who reject the measure and eternal heritage of their fathers, And whose souls follow after idols; For they shall have no rest.
15
Woe to them who work unrighteousness and help oppression, And slay their neighbours until the day of the great judgement.
16
For He shall cast down your glory, And bring affliction on your hearts, And shall arouse His fierce indignation, And destroy you all with the sword; And all the set-apart and righteous shall remember your sins.