Job 24
1 Wherefore, since from the Almighty times are not hid, have, his knowing ones, no vision of his days?
Why are times for judging wicked people not set by the Almighty? Why do not those who are faithful to God see his days of judgment come?
2 Boundaries, men move back, flocks, they seize and consume;
There are wicked people who remove boundary markers; there are wicked people who take away flocks by force and put them in their own pastures.
3 The ass of the fatherless, they drive off, they take in pledge the ox of the widow;
They drive away the donkey of those without fathers; they take the widow's ox as security.
4 They turn aside the needy out of the way, at once, are the humbled of the land made to hide themselves.
They force needy people out of their path; poor people of the earth all hide themselves from them.
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;
See, these poor people go out to their work like wild donkeys in the wilderness, looking carefully for food; perhaps the Arabah will provide them food 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;
Poor people reap in the night in other people's fields; they glean grapes from the harvest of those wicked people.
7 Ill-clad, they are left to lodge without clothing, and have no covering in the cold;
They lie naked all night without clothing; they 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.
They are wet with the showers of the mountains; they lie next to large rocks because they have no shelter.
9 Men tear, from the breast, the fatherless, and, over the poor, they take a pledge;
There are wicked people who pluck orphans from their mothers' breast, and wicked people who take children as security from poor people.
10 Naked, they go about without clothing, and, famished, they carry the sheaves;
But the poor people go about naked without clothing; although they go hungry, they carry bundles of grain belonging to other people.
11 Between their walls, are they exposed to the sun, Wine-presses, they tread, and yet are thirsty;
The poor people make oil within the walls of those wicked men; they tread the wicked men's winepresses, but they themselves 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.
From out of the city the dying groan, and the throat of the wounded cries out for help. But God does not ascribe blame
13 They, have become rebels against the light, —they are not acquainted with the ways thereof, neither abide they in the paths thereof.
Some of these wicked people rebel against the light; they know not its ways, nor do they stay in its paths.
14 With the light, riseth the murderer, He slayeth the poor and needy, And, in the night, he becometh like a thief.
Before daylight the murderer rises and he kills poor and needy people; in the night he is like a thief.
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;
Also, the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight; he says, 'No eye will see me.' He disguises his face.
16 He breaketh, in the dark, into houses, —By day, they lock themselves in, They know not the light;
In the darkness wicked people dig into houses; but they shut themselves up in the daytime; they do not care for 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.
For all of them, thick darkness is like the morning; for they are friends with the terrors of thick darkness.
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.
Swiftly they pass away, however, like foam on the surface of the waters; their portion of the land is cursed; no one goes to work in their vineyards.
As drought and heat melt away the snow into waters, so Sheol takes away those who have sinned. (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.
The womb that bore him will forget him; the worm will feed sweetly on him; he will be remembered no more; in this way, wickedness will be broken like a tree.
21 He oppresseth the barren who beareth not, and, to the widow, he doeth not good;
The wicked one devours the barren women who have not borne children; he does no good to the widow.
22 Yea he draggeth along the mighty by his strength, He riseth up, and none hath assurance of life;
Yet God drags away the mighty people by his power; he rises up and does not strengthen them in life.
23 It is given him to be secure, and confident, yet, his eyes, are upon their ways.
God allows them to think they are secure, and they are happy about that, but his eyes are on their 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.
These people are exalted; still, in only a little while, they will be gone; indeed, they will be brought low; they will be gathered up like all the others; they will be cut off like the tops of ears of grain.
25 But, if not, who then can convict me of falsehood? or make of no account my words?
If it is not so, who can prove me to be a liar; who can make my speech worth nothing?”
