Job 24
1 Wherefore, since from the Almighty times are not hid, have, his knowing ones, no vision of his days?
The times are not hidden from the Almighty; even those who know him, do not know his days.
2 Boundaries, men move back, flocks, they seize and consume;
Some have crossed the boundaries, plundered the flocks, and given them pasture.
3 The ass of the fatherless, they drive off, they take in pledge the ox of the widow;
They have driven away the donkey of orphans, and have taken the cow from the widow as collateral.
4 They turn aside the needy out of the way, at once, are the humbled of the land made to hide themselves.
They have undermined the way of the poor, and have pressed together the meek of the earth.
5 Lo! [as] wild asses in the wilderness, they go forth with their work, eager seekers for prey, the waste plain, yieldeth them food for their young;
Others, like wild asses in the desert, go forth to their work; by watching for prey, they obtain bread for their children.
6 In the field—a man’s fodder, they cut down, and, the vineyard of the lawless, they strip of its late berries;
They reap a field that is not their own, and they harvest a vineyard that they have taken by force.
7 Ill-clad, they are left to lodge without clothing, and have no covering in the cold;
They send men away naked, having taken the clothing of those who have no covering in the cold;
8 With the sweeping rain of the mountains, are they wet, and, through having no shelter, they embrace a rock.
these are wet with the mountain rain, and, having no covering, they embrace the rocks.
9 Men tear, from the breast, the fatherless, and, over the poor, they take a pledge;
They have used violence to deprive orphans, and they have robbed the poor common people.
10 Naked, they go about without clothing, and, famished, they carry the sheaves;
From the naked and those who do not have enough clothing, and from the hungry, they have taken away sheaves of grain.
11 Between their walls, are they exposed to the sun, Wine-presses, they tread, and yet are thirsty;
They take their midday rest among the stockpiles of those who, though they have trodden the winepresses, suffer thirst.
12 Out of the city—out of the houses, they make outcry. and, the soul of the wounded, calleth for help, and, GOD, doth not regard it as foolish.
In the cities, they caused the men to groan and the spirit of the wounded to cry out, and so God does not allow this to go unpunished.
13 They, have become rebels against the light, —they are not acquainted with the ways thereof, neither abide they in the paths thereof.
They have been rebellious against the light; they have not known his ways, nor have they returned by his paths.
14 With the light, riseth the murderer, He slayeth the poor and needy, And, in the night, he becometh like a thief.
The killer of men rises at first light; he executes the destitute and the poor, but, in truth, he is like a thief in the night.
15 And, the eye of the adulterer, watcheth for the evening twilight, saying, Not an eye will see me! A covering for the face, he putteth on;
The eye of the adulterer waits for darkness, saying, “No eye will see me,” and he covers his face.
16 He breaketh, in the dark, into houses, —By day, they lock themselves in, They know not the light;
He passes through houses in the nighttime, just as they had agreed among themselves in the daytime; and they are ignorant of the light.
17 For, in the case of all such, morning to them is the death-shade, For, to be recognised, is a death-shade terror.
If sunrise should suddenly appear, it is treated by them like the shadow of death; and they walk in darkness, as if in light.
18 Swift is he on the face of the waters, Speedily vanished their share in the land, He turneth not to the way of the vineyards.
He is nimble on the surface of water. His place on land is to be accursed. May he not walk by way of the vineyards.
May he cross from the snowy waters to excessive heat, and his sin, all the way to hell. (Sheol h7585)
20 Maternal love shall forget him, the worm shall find him sweet, No more shall he be remembered, but perversity shall be shivered like a tree.
Let mercy forget him. His charm is worms. Let him not be remembered, but instead be broken like an unfruitful tree.
21 He oppresseth the barren who beareth not, and, to the widow, he doeth not good;
For he has fed on the barren, who does not bear fruit, and he has not done good to the widow.
22 Yea he draggeth along the mighty by his strength, He riseth up, and none hath assurance of life;
He has pulled down the strong by his strength, and, when he stands up, he will not have trust in his life.
23 It is given him to be secure, and confident, yet, his eyes, are upon their ways.
God has given him a place for repentance, and he abuses it with arrogance, but his eyes are upon his ways.
24 They are exalted a little, and are not, Yea having been laid low, like all men, are they gathered, Even as the top of an ear of corn, do they hang down.
They are lifted up for a little while, but they will not continue, and they will be brought low, just like all things, and they will be taken away, and, like the tops of the ears of grain, they will be crushed.
25 But, if not, who then can convict me of falsehood? or make of no account my words?
But, if this is not so, who is able to prove to me that I have lied and to place my words before God?
