Job 24
1 Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? And why do not they that know Him see His days?
Wherefore from the Mighty One Times have not been hidden, And those knowing Him have not seen His days.
2 There are that remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed them.
The borders they reach, A drove they have taken violently away, Yea, they do evil.
3 They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
The ass of the fatherless they lead away, They take in pledge the ox of the widow,
4 They turn the needy out of the way; the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
They turn aside the needy from the way, Together have hid the poor of the earth.
5 Behold, as wild asses in the wilderness they go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food; the desert yieldeth them bread for their children.
Lo, wild asses in a wilderness, They have gone out about their work, Seeking early for prey, A mixture for himself — food for young ones.
6 They cut his provender in the field; and they despoil the vineyard of the wicked.
In a field his provender they reap, And the vineyard of the wicked they glean.
7 They lie all night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold.
The naked they cause to lodge Without clothing. And there is no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.
From the inundation of hills they are wet, And without a refuge — have embraced a rock.
9 There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor;
They take violently away From the breast the orphan, And on the poor they lay a pledge.
10 So that they go about naked without clothing, and being hungry they carry the sheaves;
Naked, they have gone without clothing, And hungry — have taken away a sheaf.
11 They make oil within the rows of these men; they tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.
Between their walls they make oil, Wine-presses they have trodden, and thirst.
12 From out of the populous city men groan, and the soul of the wounded crieth out; yet God imputeth it not for unseemliness.
Because of enmity men do groan, And the soul of pierced ones doth cry, And God doth not give praise.
13 These are of them that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
They have been among rebellious ones of light, They have not discerned His ways, Nor abode in His paths.
14 The murderer riseth with the light, to kill the poor and needy; and in the night he is as a thief.
At the light doth the murderer rise, He doth slay the poor and needy, And in the night he is as a thief.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying: 'No eye shall see me'; and he putteth a covering on his face.
And the eye of an adulterer Hath observed the twilight, Saying, 'No eye doth behold me.' And he putteth the face in secret.
16 In the dark they dig through houses; they shut themselves up in the day-time; they know not the light.
He hath dug in the darkness — houses; By day they shut themselves up, They have not known light.
17 For the shadow of death is to all of them as the morning; for they know the terrors of the shadow of death.
When together, morning [is] to them death shade, When he discerneth the terrors of death shade.
18 He is swift upon the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; he turneth not by the way of the vineyards.
Light he [is] on the face of the waters, Vilified is their portion in the earth, He turneth not the way of vineyards.
19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so doth the nether-world those that have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
Drought — also heat — consume snow-waters, Sheol [those who] have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
20 The womb forgetteth him; the worm feedeth sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and unrighteousness is broken as a tree.
Forget him doth the womb, Sweeten [on] him doth the worm, No more is he remembered, And broken as a tree is wickedness.
21 He devoureth the barren that beareth not; and doeth not good to the widow.
Treating evil the barren [who] beareth not, And [to] the widow he doth no good,
22 He draweth away the mighty also by his power; he riseth up, and he trusteth not his own life.
And hath drawn the mighty by his power, He riseth, and none believeth in life.
23 Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth, yet His eyes are upon their ways.
He giveth to him confidence, and he is supported, And his eyes [are] on their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while, and they are gone; yea, they are brought low, they are gathered in as all others, and wither as the tops of the ears of corn.
High they were [for] a little, and they are not, And they have been brought low. As all [others] they are shut up, And as the head of an ear of corn cut off.
25 And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?
And if not now, who doth prove me a liar, And doth make of nothing my word?
