Job 24
1 “Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why may those who know Him never see His days?
Why are not times [of punishment] treasured up by the Almighty, and why do his adorers not see his days [of retribution]?
2 Men move boundary stones; they pasture stolen flocks.
[The wicked] remove landmarks: they rob flocks, and feed them.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take in pledge the widow's ox.
4 They push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
They chase the needy out of the highway: altogether hide themselves the poor of the earth.
5 Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go to work foraging for food; the wasteland is food for their children.
Behold, as wild asses in the wilderness go they forth to their work, rising betimes after [their] prey: the desert yieldeth food for them and for their young men.
6 They gather fodder in the fields and glean the vineyards of the wicked.
In the field they reap their food; and in the vineyard of the wicked they gather the fruit.
7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked; they have no covering against the cold.
They cause [the poor] to spend the night naked, without clothing and without any covering in the cold.
8 Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks for want of shelter.
Through the sweeping rain of the mountains are they made wet, and for want of a shelter do they embrace the rock.
9 The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt.
The others pluck from the breast the fatherless, and the garment of the poor they take in pledge.
10 Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
They cause him to go naked without clothing, and from the hungry they take away the sheaf:
11 They crush olives within their walls; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
Within their walls do they make oil, they tread their wine-presses, and suffer thirst.
12 From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.
Out of a populous city is groaning heard, and the soul of the deadly wounded crieth out: yet God regardeth it not as an offence.
13 Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths.
Yon men are of those that rebel against the light: they know not its ways, nor abide in its paths.
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief.
With the earliest light riseth the murderer, he slayeth the poor and needy, and in the night he becometh like the thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight. Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face.
And the eye of the adulterer watcheth for the twilight, saying, No eye will see me; and placeth a covering on his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.
They break into houses in the dark, in the daytime they lock themselves in: they know not the light.
17 For to them, deep darkness is their morning; surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!
For to all of these alike is the morning as the shadow of death; for they are familiar with the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 They are but foam on the surface of the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one turns toward their vineyards.
Swift are such men [to flee] on the face of the water; accursed is their field on the land; none of them turneth himself to the way, of the vineyards.
19 As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
Drought and heat speedily consume the snow-waters: so doth the grave those who have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
20 The womb forgets them; the worm feeds on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is like a broken tree.
The mother that bore such a one will forget him; the worm will feed sweetly on him; he will be no more remembered; and like a tree will wickedness be broken.
21 They prey on the barren and childless, and show no kindness to the widow.
He ill-treateth the barren that heareth not; and to the widow he acteth not well.
22 Yet by His power, God drags away the mighty; though rising up, they have no assurance of life.
But he also draweth down the mighty with his power: he riseth up, no one is sure of life.
23 He gives them a sense of security, but His eyes are on their ways.
To such [God] granteth to be in safety, that he may find support; and His eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.
They are exalted; in but a little while they are no more; and they are brought down low: like all others are they gathered in, and like the top of the ear of corn are they cut off.
25 If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?”
But if it be not so, who will prove me a liar, and render nought my word?
