Job 24
1 “Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why may those who know Him never see His days?
“Ko e meʻa ʻi he ʻikai lilo ʻae ngaahi kuonga mei he Māfimafi, ko e hā ʻoku ʻikai mamata ai ki hono ngaahi ʻaho ʻekinautolu ʻoku nau ʻiloʻi ia?
2 Men move boundary stones; they pasture stolen flocks.
ʻOku hiki ʻe he niʻihi ʻae ngaahi fakangatangata ʻoe fonua; ʻoku nau ʻave fakamālohi ʻae ngaahi fanga manu, ʻonau fafanga ʻaki ʻakinautolu.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
ʻOku nau fakahēʻi ʻae ʻasi ʻae tamai mate, ʻoku nau maʻu ko e totongi ʻae pulu tangata ʻae fefine kuo mate hono husepāniti.
4 They push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
ʻOku nau fakaafeʻi ʻae masiva mei he hala: ʻoku toitoi fakataha ʻae kakai masiva ʻoe fonua.
5 Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go to work foraging for food; the wasteland is food for their children.
Vakai, ʻoku nau ʻalu atu ki heʻenau ngāue ʻo hangē ko e fanga ʻasi kaivao ʻoe toafa; ʻo tuʻu hengihengi ki he kaihaʻa: ʻoku maʻu ʻae meʻakai maʻanautolu mo ʻenau fānau mei he toafa.
6 They gather fodder in the fields and glean the vineyards of the wicked.
ʻOku nau taki taha tuʻusi ʻene koane ʻi he ngoue: pea utu ʻe he angahala ʻae fua ʻoe vaine.
7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked; they have no covering against the cold.
ʻOku nau fai ke mohe taʻekafu ʻae telefua, pea ʻikai ha kafu ʻi he momoko.
8 Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks for want of shelter.
ʻOku nau viviku ʻi he ngaahi ʻuha mei he moʻunga, mo nau fāufuaʻi ʻae maka ko e taʻehamaluʻanga.
9 The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt.
ʻOku hamusi ʻe he niʻihi ʻae tamai mate mei he huhu, pea maʻu ʻae kofu ʻoe masiva ko e totongi.
10 Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
ʻOku nau fai ke ʻalu telefua ia ʻo taʻehakofu, ʻonau ʻave ʻae ū uite mei he fiekaia;
11 They crush olives within their walls; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
ʻOku nau fai lolo ʻi honau ngaahi loto ʻā, ʻo molomoloki ʻae ngaahi tataʻoʻanga uaine, mo nau fieinu.
12 From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.
ʻOku toʻe ʻae kakai mei he loto kolo, pea tangi kalanga ʻae laumālie ʻoe mamahiʻia: kae ʻikai ke tokangaʻi ʻe he ʻOtua.
13 Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths.
“Ko kinautolu ni ʻoku nau angatuʻu ki he maama; ʻoku ʻikai ke nau ʻilo hono ngaahi hala ʻoʻona, pe nofomaʻu ʻi hono ngaahi ʻaluʻanga.
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief.
ʻOku tuʻu fakataha ʻae fakapō mo e maama ʻo ne tāmateʻi ʻae masiva mo e vaivai, pea tatau ia ʻi he poʻuli mo ha kaihaʻa.
15 The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight. Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face.
ʻOku tatali ʻae mata ʻoe tono fefine ki he efiafi poʻuli, ʻo ne pehē, ‘ʻE ʻikai sio ha mata kiate au,’ pea ne fakapuli hono mata.
16 In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.
ʻOka poʻuli ʻoku nau keli ki he ngaahi fale, ʻaia naʻa nau fakaʻilongaʻi moʻonautolu ʻi he kei ʻaho, ʻoku ʻikai ke nau ʻilo ʻae maama.
17 For to them, deep darkness is their morning; surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!
He ʻoku tatau kiate kinautolu ʻae pongipongi mo e malumalu ʻoe mate: pea ka ʻiloa, ʻoku nau ʻi he lilika ʻoe malumalu ʻoe mate.
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.
“ʻOku ʻalu vave ia ʻo hangē ko e vaitafe; kuo fakamalaʻia honau tofiʻa ʻi he fonua: ʻoku ʻikai mamata ia ki he hala ʻoe ngaahi ngoue vaine.
19 As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
Ko e laʻā mo e pupuha ʻoku faʻao ai ʻae ngaahi vai ʻuha hinehina: ʻoku pehē ʻae faʻitoka kiate kinautolu kuo fai angahala. (Sheol h7585)
20 The womb forgets them; the worm feeds on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is like a broken tree.
ʻE fakangaloʻi ia ʻe he manāva; ʻe kai melie ia ʻe he kelemutu; ʻe ʻikai toe manatuʻi ia; pea ʻe fesiʻi ʻae angahala ʻo hangē ko e ʻakau.
21 They prey on the barren and childless, and show no kindness to the widow.
ʻOku ne fai kovi ki he paʻa naʻe ʻikai fānau: pea ʻoku ʻikai fai lelei ki he fefine kuo mate hono husepāniti.
22 Yet by His power, God drags away the mighty; though rising up, they have no assurance of life.
ʻOku ne toho ʻaki ʻe hono mālohi ʻae kakai mālohi: ʻoku ne tuʻuhake, pea ʻikai ʻilo ʻe ha taha pe te ne moʻui.
23 He gives them a sense of security, but His eyes are on their ways.
Neongo ʻene foaki kiate ia ʻae nofo fiemālie, ʻaia ʻoku ne falala ki ai; ka ʻoku ne ʻafioʻi honau ngaahi hala.
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.
ʻOku hakeakiʻi ʻakinautolu ʻo fuoloa siʻi pe, ka ʻe mole leva, pea fakahifo ki lalo; ʻoku toʻo atu ʻakinautolu ʻo hangē ko e kakai fulipē, pea tutuʻu ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi fua ʻoe uite.
25 If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?”
Pea kapau ʻoku ʻikai pehē, ko hai te ne fakaʻilo ʻeku loi, mo fakataʻeʻaonga ʻeku lea?”
