Job 24
1 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?
Times are not hid from the Almighty: but they that know him, know not his days.
2 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.
Some have removed landmarks, have taken away flocks by force, and fed them.
3 They drive away the donkey of those without fathers; they take the widow's ox as security.
They have driven away the ass of the fatherless, and have taken away the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 They force needy people out of their path; poor people of the earth all hide themselves from them.
They have overturned the way of the poor, and have oppressed together the meek of the earth.
5 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.
Others like wild asses in the desert go forth to their work: by watching for a prey they get bread for their children.
6 Poor people reap in the night in other people's fields; they glean grapes from the harvest of those wicked people.
They reap the field that is not their own, and gather the vintage of his vineyard whom by violence they have oppressed.
7 They lie naked all night without clothing; they have no covering in the cold.
They send men away naked, taking away their clothes who have no covering in the cold:
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains; they lie next to large rocks because they have no shelter.
Who are wet, with the showers of the mountains, and having no covering embrace the stones.
9 There are wicked people who pluck orphans from their mothers' breast, and wicked people who take children as security from poor people.
They have violently robbed the fatherless, and stripped the poor common people.
10 But the poor people go about naked without clothing; although they go hungry, they carry bundles of grain belonging to other people.
From the naked and them that go without clothing, and from the hungry they have taken away the ears of corn.
11 The poor people make oil within the walls of those wicked men; they tread the wicked men's winepresses, but they themselves suffer thirst.
They have taken their rest at noon among the stores of them, who after having trodden the winepresses suffer thirst.
12 From out of the city the dying groan, and the throat of the wounded cries out for help. But God does not ascribe blame
Out of the cities they have made men to groan, and the soul of the wounded hath cried out, and God doth not suffer it to pass unrevenged.
13 Some of these wicked people rebel against the light; they know not its ways, nor do they stay in its paths.
They have been rebellious to the light, they have not known his ways, neither have they returned by his paths.
14 Before daylight the murderer rises and he kills poor and needy people; in the night he is like a thief.
The murderer riseth at the very break of day, he killeth the needy, and the poor man: but in the night he will be as a thief.
15 Also, the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight; he says, 'No eye will see me.' He disguises his face.
The eye of the adulterer observeth darkness, saying: No eye shall see me: and he will cover his face.
16 In the darkness wicked people dig into houses; but they shut themselves up in the daytime; they do not care for the light.
He diggeth through houses in the dark, as in the day they had appointed for themselves, and they have not known the light.
17 For all of them, thick darkness is like the morning; for they are friends with the terrors of thick darkness.
If the morning suddenly appear, it is to them the shadow of death: and they walk in darkness as if it were in light.
18 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.
He is light upon the face of the water: cursed be his portion on the earth, let him not walk by the way of the vineyards.
19 As drought and heat melt away the snow into waters, so Sheol takes away those who have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
Let him pass from the snow waters to excessive heat, and his sin even to hell. (Sheol h7585)
20 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.
Let mercy forget him: may worms be his sweetness: let him be remembered no more, but be broken in pieces as an unfruitful tree.
21 The wicked one devours the barren women who have not borne children; he does no good to the widow.
For he hath fed the barren that beareth not, and to the widow he hath done no good.
22 Yet God drags away the mighty people by his power; he rises up and does not strengthen them in life.
He hath pulled down the strong by his might: and when he standeth up, he shall not trust to his life.
23 God allows them to think they are secure, and they are happy about that, but his eyes are on their ways.
God hath given him place for penance, and he abuseth it unto pride: but his eyes are upon his ways.
24 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.
They are lifted up for a little while and shall not stand, and shall be brought down as all things, and shall be taken away, and as the tops of the ears of corn they shall be broken.
25 If it is not so, who can prove me to be a liar; who can make my speech worth nothing?”
And if it be not so, who can convince me that I have lied, and set my words before God?
