Giving voice to those who reason without hope, the second chapter records the inner speech of the ungodly, who conclude that life is short and full of sorrow and resolve to seize pleasure and crush whatever opposes them. They plot against the righteous man because he reproves their sins, professes to be a child of the Lord, and troubles their conscience, so they determine to condemn him to a shameful death and test whether God will rescue him. The author judges their reasoning blind, saying they knew not the mysteries of God nor the wages of a holy life. Long read by Christians as anticipating the suffering of the innocent, the passage sharpens the book's contrast between those who despair of God's justice and those who trust it.