Wisdom 17:6-8

Common English Bible

⁶ Only once did anything shine through: it was a frightening fire that seemed to have a life of its own. But then, when they lost sight of that light, they were even more afraid than they had been before they had seen it! They began to realize that what they had seen was even worse than what they had thought. ⁷ They realized that their mocking attempts at magic were too weak and that they had no real power. It became clear to them that they had given themselves far too much credit for understanding what was happening. ⁸ Those who had thought they could dispel fears and free sick beings from terror became sick themselves with a laughable case of nerves.