XIV
I saw them punished that plough iniquity,
And them that sow sorrow reap the same;
By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.[198]
XV
Now a word was wafted unto me by stealth,[199]
And mine ear received the whisper thereof;
In thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falleth upon man.
XVI
Fear came upon me and trembling,
Which made all my bones to shake.
Then a spectre sped before my face;
The hair of my flesh bristled up.
XVII
It stood, but I could not discern its form.
I heard a gentle voice:—
"Shall a mortal be more just than God?
Shall a man be more pure than his maker?
XVIII
Behold, in his servants he puts no trust,—
Nay, his angels[200] he chargeth with folly;—
How much less in the dwellers in houses of clay,
Whose foundations are down in the dust.