أيُّوب 24

١ 1 لِمَاذَا إِذاً لَمْ يُحَدِّدِ الْقَدِيرُ أَزْمِنَةَ الْمُحَاكَمَةِ، وَلِمَاذَا لَا يَرَى مُتَّقُوهُ يَوْمَهُ؟

“(Why does Almighty [God] not set a time when he will judge [evil people]?/I do not understand why Almighty [God does] not set a time when he will judge [evil people].) [RHQ] Those who know him never [RHQ] see him do that!

٢ 2 يَنْقُلُ النَّاسُ التُّخُومَ، وَيَغْتَصِبُونَ الْقُطْعَانَ وَيَرْعَوْنَهَا.

[Some evil people] remove the markers of boundaries of [other people’s] land, [in order to steal their land]; they seize/steal [other people’s] sheep and put them in their own pastures.

٣ 3 يَأْخُذُونَ حِمَارَ الأَيْتَامِ وَيَرْتَهِنُونَ ثَوْرَ الأَرْمَلَةِ.

[Some] (take away/steal) the donkeys that belong to orphans, and they take widow’s oxen to guarantee that the widows will pay back the money that they loaned to those widows.

٤ 4 يَصُدُّونَ الْمَسَاكِينَ عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ، فَيَخْتَبِئُ فُقَرَاءُ الأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً.

[Some] shove poor people off the road (OR, prevent poor people from (obtaining their rights/being treated justly)), and they force poor people to find places to hide from them.

٥ 5 انْظُرُوا فَهَا هُمْ يَخْرُجُونَ إِلَى عَمَلِهِمْ كَالْحِمَارِ الْوَحْشِيِّ فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ يَطْلُبُونَ فِي الْقَفْرِ صَيْداً، لِيَكُونَ طَعَاماً لأَبْنَائِهِمْ،

The result is that poor people have to search for food in the desert like wild donkeys do.

٦ 6 يَجْمَعُونَ عَلَفَهُمْ مِنَ الْحَقْلِ وَيَقْطُفُونَ كَرْمَ الشِّرِّيرِ.

The poor people harvest left-over grain in other people’s fields, and gather grapes from vineyards that belong to wicked men.

٧ 7 يَرْقُدُونَ اللَّيْلَ كُلَّهُ عُرَاةً مِنْ غَيْرِ كَسْوَةٍ تَقِيهِمْ قَسْوَةَ الْبَرْدِ.

During the night they have nothing to cover their bodies, nothing to keep them warm.

٨ 8 يَبْتَلُّونَ مِنْ مَطَرِ الْجِبَالِ، وَيَرْكَنُونَ إِلَى الصَّخْرِ لاِفْتِقَارِهِمْ إِلَى الْمَأْوَى.

When it rains on the mountains, the poor people become very wet, so they huddle under the rock ledges to be protected [from the rain].

٩ 9 يَخْطِفُونَ الْيَتَامَى عَنِ الثُّدِيِّ، وَيَرْتَهِنُونَ طِفْلَ الْمِسْكِينِ،

[Some evil men] snatch infants away from their widowed mothers [SYN], and they say ‘I will return your babies to you when you repay the money that I lent to you.’

١٠ 10 يَطُوفُونَ عُرَاةً بِلا كِسَاءٍ، جِيَاعاً حَامِلِينَ الْحُزَمَ.

But the poor people walk around with no clothes on; they are hungry while they are working to carry [other people’s] bundles of grain [to the places where their grain will be threshed].

١١ 11 يَعْصِرُونَ الزَّيْتَ بَيْنَ أَتْلامِ زَيْتُونِ الأَشْرَارِ، وَيَدُوسُونَ مَعَاصِرَ الْخَمْرِ وَهُمْ عِطَاشٌ.

Poor people press olives to make [olive] oil; they tread on grapes [to make juice for wine], but [they are not allowed to drink any of it when] they become thirsty.

١٢ 12 يَرْتَفِعُ مِنَ الْمُدُنِ أَنِينُ الْمُشْرِفِينَ عَلَى الْمَوْتِ، وَتَسْتَغِيثُ نُفُوسُ الْجَرْحَى، وَاللهُ لَا يُصْغِي إِلَى دُعَائِهِمْ.

In the cities, people who are wounded and dying cry out [to God for help], but God does not heed their prayers.

١٣ 13 هُنَاكَ مَنْ كَانَ بَيْنَ الْمُتَمَرِّدِيِنَ عَلَى النُّورِ، فَلَمْ يَعْرِفُوا طُرُقَهَ، وَلَمْ يَمْكُثُوا فِي سُبُلِهِ.

Some wicked people avoid the light [because they do evil things in the dark]; they do not walk on roads that are lighted.

١٤ 14 عِنْدَ مَطْلَعِ النُّورِ يَنْهَضُ الْقَاتِلُ وَيُهْلِكُ الْبَائِسَ وَالْمُحْتَاجَ، وَفِي اللَّيْلِ يَغْدُو لِصّاً.

Murderers steal things during the night, and then they arise before dawn in order that they may [go out again and] kill needy [DOU] people.

١٥ 15 يَنْتَظِرُ الزَّانِي حُلُولَ الْعَتَمَةِ فَيَتَقَنَّعُ قَائِلاً: لَنْ تُبْصِرَنِي عَيْنٌ.

Those who want to commit adultery wait for twilight/evening; they say ‘I do not want anyone to see me,’ so they keep their faces covered.

١٦ 16 يَنْقُبُونَ البُيُوتَ لَيْلاً، وَفِي النَّهَارِ يُغْلِقُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ فَلا يَعْرِفُونَ النُّورَ،

It is during the night that robbers break into houses [to steal things], but during the day they hide because they want to avoid [being seen in] the light.

١٧ 17 لأَنَّ الصَّبَاحَ عِنْدَهُمْ كَظِلِّ الْمَوْتِ، وَأَهْوَالُ الظُّلْمَةِ هِيَ رِفْقَتُهُمْ.

All of those [people] want to do their evil things at night, not in the morning [when it is light], because they are not afraid of [the things that happen during the] night that terrify others.”

١٨ 18 يَنْجَرِفُونَ لِخِفَّتِهِمْ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْمِيَاهِ، وَنَصِيبُهُمْ مَلْعُونٌ فِي الأَرْضِ، وَلا أَحَدَ يَتَوَجَّهُ نَحْوَ كُرُومِهِمْ.

“[But it is wicked people] who are swept/carried away by floods, and God curses the land that they own, and no one goes to work in their vineyards.

١٩ 19 وَكَمَا أَنَّ الْقَحْطَ وَالْقَيْظَ يَذْهَبَانِ بِمِيَاهِ الثَّلْجِ، كَذَلِكَ تَذْهَبُ الْهَاوِيَةُ بِالْخَاطِئِ، (Sheol h7585)

Just like the snow melts away when it is hot and there is no rain, those who have sinned disappear into the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)

٢٠ 20 تَنْسَاهُ الرَّحِمُ وَيَسْتَطِيبُهُ الدُّودُ، وَلا أَحَدَ يَذْكُرُ الأَشْرَارَ فِيمَا بَعْدُ، فَيَكُونُونَ كَشَجَرَةٍ مُقْتَلَعَةٍ.

Not even their mothers remember them now; wicked people are destroyed like trees that are cut down, and maggots eat their corpses.

٢١ 21 يُسِيئُونَ إِلَى الْعَاقِرِ الَّتِي لَمْ تَلِدْ، وَلا يُحْسِنُونَ إِلَى الأَرْمَلَةِ.

They mistreat women who have been unable to give birth to children and women who no longer have children [to take care of them], and they never do good things for widows.

٢٢ 22 اللهُ فِي جَلالِهِ يُدَمِّرُ الْقَوِيَّ وَيُمِيتُهُ.

But God, by his power, gets rid of mighty/influential people. God acts and causes the wicked people to die.

٢٣ 23 يَمْنَحُهُمْ طُمَأْنِينَةً تَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهَا قُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَى حِينٍ، لَكِنَّ عَيْنَيْهِ تُرَاقِبانِ طُرُقَهُمْ.

God allows them to think that they are secure and safe, but he is watching [MTY] them all the time.

٢٤ 24 تَشَامَخُوا لِلَحْظَةٍ ثُمَّ تَلاشَوْا، انْحَطُّوا وَجُمِعُوا كَالأَشْيَاءِ الأُخْرَى، بَلْ حُصِدُوا كَرُؤُوسِ السَّنَابِلِ؛

They prosper for a little while, and then [suddenly] they are gone; they disappear like weeds wither and die; they are like [SIM] stalks of grain that have been cut off.

٢٥ 25 وَإلَّا، مَنْ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يُكَذِّبَنِي وَيَجْعَلَ كَلامِي كَالْعَدَمِ؟»

If this is not true, is there [RHQ] anyone who will show that I am a liar and prove that what I have said is not true?”