< Job 24 >

1 “(Why does Almighty [God] not set a time when he will judge [evil people]?/I do not understand why Almighty [God does] not set a time when he will judge [evil people].) [RHQ] Those who know him never [RHQ] see him do that!
“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 [Some evil people] remove the markers of boundaries of [other people’s] land, [in order to steal their land]; they seize/steal [other people’s] sheep and put them in their own pastures.
‌ʻOku hiki ʻe he niʻihi ʻae ngaahi fakangatangata ʻoe fonua; ʻoku nau ʻave fakamālohi ʻae ngaahi fanga manu, ʻonau fafanga ʻaki ʻakinautolu.
3 [Some] (take away/steal) the donkeys that belong to orphans, and they take widow’s oxen to guarantee that the widows will pay back the money that they loaned to those widows.
‌ʻOku nau fakahēʻi ʻae ʻasi ʻae tamai mate, ʻoku nau maʻu ko e totongi ʻae pulu tangata ʻae fefine kuo mate hono husepāniti.
4 [Some] shove poor people off the road (OR, prevent poor people from (obtaining their rights/being treated justly)), and they force poor people to find places to hide from them.
‌ʻOku nau fakaafeʻi ʻae masiva mei he hala: ʻoku toitoi fakataha ʻae kakai masiva ʻoe fonua.
5 The result is that poor people have to search for food in the desert like wild donkeys do.
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 The poor people harvest left-over grain in other people’s fields, and gather grapes from vineyards that belong to wicked men.
‌ʻOku nau taki taha tuʻusi ʻene koane ʻi he ngoue: pea utu ʻe he angahala ʻae fua ʻoe vaine.
7 During the night they have nothing to cover their bodies, nothing to keep them warm.
‌ʻOku nau fai ke mohe taʻekafu ʻae telefua, pea ʻikai ha kafu ʻi he momoko.
8 When it rains on the mountains, the poor people become very wet, so they huddle under the rock ledges to be protected [from the rain].
‌ʻOku nau viviku ʻi he ngaahi ʻuha mei he moʻunga, mo nau fāufuaʻi ʻae maka ko e taʻehamaluʻanga.
9 [Some evil men] snatch infants away from their widowed mothers [SYN], and they say ‘I will return your babies to you when you repay the money that I lent to you.’
‌ʻOku hamusi ʻe he niʻihi ʻae tamai mate mei he huhu, pea maʻu ʻae kofu ʻoe masiva ko e totongi.
10 But the poor people walk around with no clothes on; they are hungry while they are working to carry [other people’s] bundles of grain [to the places where their grain will be threshed].
‌ʻOku nau fai ke ʻalu telefua ia ʻo taʻehakofu, ʻonau ʻave ʻae ū uite mei he fiekaia;
11 Poor people press olives to make [olive] oil; they tread on grapes [to make juice for wine], but [they are not allowed to drink any of it when] they become thirsty.
‌ʻOku nau fai lolo ʻi honau ngaahi loto ʻā, ʻo molomoloki ʻae ngaahi tataʻoʻanga uaine, mo nau fieinu.
12 In the cities, people who are wounded and dying cry out [to God for help], but God does not heed their prayers.
‌ʻOku toʻe ʻae kakai mei he loto kolo, pea tangi kalanga ʻae laumālie ʻoe mamahiʻia: kae ʻikai ke tokangaʻi ʻe he ʻOtua.
13 Some wicked people avoid the light [because they do evil things in the dark]; they do not walk on roads that are lighted.
“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 Murderers steal things during the night, and then they arise before dawn in order that they may [go out again and] kill needy [DOU] people.
‌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 Those who want to commit adultery wait for twilight/evening; they say ‘I do not want anyone to see me,’ so they keep their faces covered.
‌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 It is during the night that robbers break into houses [to steal things], but during the day they hide because they want to avoid [being seen in] 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 All of those [people] want to do their evil things at night, not in the morning [when it is light], because they are not afraid of [the things that happen during the] night that terrify others.”
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 “[But it is wicked people] who are swept/carried away by floods, and God curses the land that they own, and no one goes to work in 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 Just like the snow melts away when it is hot and there is no rain, those who have sinned disappear into the place where dead people are. (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 Not even their mothers remember them now; wicked people are destroyed like trees that are cut down, and maggots eat their corpses.
‌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 mistreat women who have been unable to give birth to children and women who no longer have children [to take care of them], and they never do good things for widows.
‌ʻOku ne fai kovi ki he paʻa naʻe ʻikai fānau: pea ʻoku ʻikai fai lelei ki he fefine kuo mate hono husepāniti.
22 But God, by his power, gets rid of mighty/influential people. God acts and causes the wicked people to die.
‌ʻOku ne toho ʻaki ʻe hono mālohi ʻae kakai mālohi: ʻoku ne tuʻuhake, pea ʻikai ʻilo ʻe ha taha pe te ne moʻui.
23 God allows them to think that they are secure and safe, but he is watching [MTY] them all the time.
Neongo ʻene foaki kiate ia ʻae nofo fiemālie, ʻaia ʻoku ne falala ki ai; ka ʻoku ne ʻafioʻi honau ngaahi hala.
24 They prosper for a little while, and then [suddenly] they are gone; they disappear like weeds wither and die; they are like [SIM] stalks of grain that have been cut off.
‌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 true, is there [RHQ] anyone who will show that I am a liar and prove that what I have said is not true?”
Pea kapau ʻoku ʻikai pehē, ko hai te ne fakaʻilo ʻeku loi, mo fakataʻeʻaonga ʻeku lea?”

< Job 24 >