Job 24
1 “Why aren’t times laid up by the Almighty? Why don’t those who know him see his days?
Wherefore, since from the Almighty times are not hid, have, his knowing ones, no vision of his days?
2 There are people who remove the landmarks. They violently take away flocks, and feed them.
Boundaries, men move back, flocks, they seize and consume;
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, and they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
The ass of the fatherless, they drive off, they take in pledge the ox of the widow;
4 They turn the needy out of the way. The poor of the earth all hide themselves.
They turn aside the needy out of the way, at once, are the humbled of the land made to hide themselves.
5 Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert, they go out to their work, seeking diligently for food. The wilderness yields them bread for their children.
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;
6 They cut their food in the field. They glean the vineyard of the wicked.
In the field—a man’s fodder, they cut down, and, the vineyard of the lawless, they strip of its late berries;
7 They lie all night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold.
Ill-clad, they are left to lodge without clothing, and have no covering in the cold;
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for lack of a shelter.
With the sweeping rain of the mountains, are they wet, and, through having no shelter, they embrace a rock.
9 There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor,
Men tear, from the breast, the fatherless, and, over the poor, they take a pledge;
10 so that they go around naked without clothing. Being hungry, they carry the sheaves.
Naked, they go about without clothing, and, famished, they carry the sheaves;
11 They make oil within the walls of these men. They tread wine presses, and suffer thirst.
Between their walls, are they exposed to the sun, Wine-presses, they tread, and yet are thirsty;
12 From out of the populous city, men groan. The soul of the wounded cries out, yet God doesn’t regard the folly.
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.
13 “These are of those who rebel against the light. They don’t know its ways, nor stay in its paths.
They, have become rebels against the light, —they are not acquainted with the ways thereof, neither abide they in the paths thereof.
14 The murderer rises with the light. He kills the poor and needy. In the night he is like a thief.
With the light, riseth the murderer, He slayeth the poor and needy, And, in the night, he becometh like a thief.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me.’ He disguises his face.
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;
16 In the dark they dig through houses. They shut themselves up in the daytime. They don’t know the light.
He breaketh, in the dark, into houses, —By day, they lock themselves in, They know not the light;
17 For the morning is to all of them like thick darkness, for they know the terrors of the thick darkness.
For, in the case of all such, morning to them is the death-shade, For, to be recognised, is a death-shade terror.
18 “They are foam on the surface of the waters. Their portion is cursed in the earth. They don’t turn into the way of the vineyards.
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.
Drought and heat, steal away snow water, Hades, them who have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
20 The womb will forget him. The worm will feed sweetly on him. He will be no more remembered. Unrighteousness will be broken as a tree.
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.
21 He devours the barren who don’t bear. He shows no kindness to the widow.
He oppresseth the barren who beareth not, and, to the widow, he doeth not good;
22 Yet God preserves the mighty by his power. He rises up who has no assurance of life.
Yea he draggeth along the mighty by his strength, He riseth up, and none hath assurance of life;
23 God gives them security, and they rest in it. His eyes are on their ways.
It is given him to be secure, and confident, yet, his eyes, are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone. Yes, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
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.
25 If it isn’t so now, who will prove me a liar, and make my speech worth nothing?”
But, if not, who then can convict me of falsehood? or make of no account my words?
