< איוב 24 >
מַדּוּעַ מִשַּׁדַּי לֹא־נִצְפְּנוּ עִתִּים וְיֹדְעָו לֹא־חָזוּ יָמָֽיו׃ | 1 |
Why doesn't the Almighty set a definite time to punish the wicked? Why don't those who follow him never see him act in judgment?
גְּבֻלוֹת יַשִּׂיגוּ עֵדֶר גָּזְלוּ וַיִּרְעֽוּ׃ | 2 |
The wicked move boundary stones; they seize other people's flocks and move them to their own pastures.
חֲמוֹר יְתוֹמִים יִנְהָגוּ יַחְבְּלוּ שׁוֹר אַלְמָנָֽה׃ | 3 |
They steal the orphan's donkey; they take the widow's ox as security for a debt.
יַטּוּ אֶבְיֹנִים מִדָּרֶךְ יַחַד חֻבְּאוּ עֲנִיֵּי־אָֽרֶץ׃ | 4 |
They push the poor out of their way; the destitute are forced to hide from them.
הֵן פְּרָאִים ׀ בַּמִּדְבָּר יָצְאוּ בְּפׇעֳלָם מְשַׁחֲרֵי לַטָּרֶף עֲרָבָה לוֹ לֶחֶם לַנְּעָרִֽים׃ | 5 |
Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor have to scavenge for their food, looking for anything to feed their children in the wasteland.
בַּשָּׂדֶה בְּלִילוֹ (יקצירו) [יִקְצוֹרוּ] וְכֶרֶם רָשָׁע יְלַקֵּֽשׁוּ׃ | 6 |
They are forced to find what they can in other people's fields, to glean among the vineyards of the wicked.
עָרוֹם יָלִינוּ מִבְּלִי לְבוּשׁ וְאֵין כְּסוּת בַּקָּרָֽה׃ | 7 |
They spend the night naked because they have no clothes; they have nothing to cover themselves against the cold.
מִזֶּרֶם הָרִים יִרְטָבוּ וּֽמִבְּלִי מַחְסֶה חִבְּקוּ־צֽוּר׃ | 8 |
They are soaked by the cold mountain storms, and huddle beside the rocks for shelter.
יִגְזְלוּ מִשֹּׁד יָתוֹם וְֽעַל־עָנִי יַחְבֹּֽלוּ׃ | 9 |
Fatherless children are snatched from their mother's breasts, taking the babies of the poor as security for a debt.
עָרוֹם הִלְּכוּ בְּלִי לְבוּשׁ וּרְעֵבִים נָשְׂאוּ עֹֽמֶר׃ | 10 |
Because they have no clothes to wear they have to go naked, harvesting sheaves of grain while they themselves are hungry.
בֵּין־שׁוּרֹתָם יַצְהִירוּ יְקָבִים דָּרְכוּ וַיִּצְמָֽאוּ׃ | 11 |
In the olive groves they work to produce oil, but do not taste it; they tread the winepress, but are thirsty.
מֵעִיר מְתִים ׀ יִנְאָקוּ וְנֶֽפֶשׁ־חֲלָלִים תְּשַׁוֵּעַ וֶאֱלוֹהַּ לֹֽא־יָשִׂים תִּפְלָֽה׃ | 12 |
In the city the dying groan, and the wounded cry for help, but God ignores their prayers.
הֵמָּה ׀ הָיוּ בְּֽמֹרְדֵי ־ אוֹר לֹא־הִכִּירוּ דְרָכָיו וְלֹא יָשְׁבוּ בִּנְתִיבֹתָֽיו׃ | 13 |
These are people who rebel against the light. They do not want to know its ways, or to stay on its paths.
לָאוֹר יָקוּם רוֹצֵחַ יִֽקְטׇל־עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן וּבַלַּיְלָה יְהִי כַגַּנָּֽב׃ | 14 |
The murderer gets up at dawn to kill the poor and needy, and when night falls he becomes a thief.
וְעֵין נֹאֵף ׀ שָׁמְרָֽה נֶשֶׁף לֵאמֹר לֹא־תְשׁוּרֵנִי עָיִן וְסֵתֶר פָּנִים יָשִֽׂים׃ | 15 |
The adulterer waits for dusk, saying to himself, ‘No one will see me now,’ and he covers his face.
חָתַר בַּחֹשֶׁךְ בָּתִּים יוֹמָם חִתְּמוּ־לָמוֹ לֹא־יָדְעוּ אֽוֹר׃ | 16 |
Thieves break into houses during the night and they sleep during the day. They don't even know what the light is like!
כִּי יַחְדָּו ׀ בֹּקֶר לָמוֹ צַלְמָוֶת כִּֽי־יַכִּיר בַּלְהוֹת צַלְמָֽוֶת׃ | 17 |
Total darkness is like light to them, for they are familiar with the night.
קַל־הוּא ׀ עַל־פְּנֵי־מַיִם תְּקֻלַּל חֶלְקָתָם בָּאָרֶץ לֹא־יִפְנֶה דֶּרֶךְ כְּרָמִֽים׃ | 18 |
Like bubbles on the surface of a river they are quickly carried away. The land they own is cursed by God. They don't enter their own vineyards.
צִיָּה גַם־חֹם יִגְזְלוּ מֵֽימֵי־שֶׁלֶג שְׁאוֹל חָטָֽאוּ׃ (Sheol ) | 19 |
Just as heat and drought dry up snowmelt, so Sheol takes away those who have sinned. (Sheol )
יִשְׁכָּחֵהוּ רֶחֶם ׀ מְתָקוֹ רִמָּה עוֹד לֹֽא־יִזָּכֵר וַתִּשָּׁבֵר כָּעֵץ עַוְלָֽה׃ | 20 |
Even their mothers forget them, maggots feast on them, they are no longer remembered, and their wickedness becomes like a tree that is broken into pieces.
רֹעֶה עֲקָרָה לֹא תֵלֵד וְאַלְמָנָה לֹא יְיֵטִֽיב׃ | 21 |
They mistreat childless women and are mean to widows.
וּמָשַׁךְ אַבִּירִים בְּכֹחוֹ יָקוּם וְֽלֹא־יַאֲמִין בַּֽחַיִּֽין׃ | 22 |
God prolongs the life of the wicked by his power; but when they arise, they have no assurance of life.
יִתֶּן־לוֹ לָבֶטַח וְיִשָּׁעֵן וְעֵינֵיהוּ עַל־דַּרְכֵיהֶֽם׃ | 23 |
He supports them and gives them security, but he is always watching what they're doing.
רוֹמּוּ מְּעַט ׀ וְֽאֵינֶנּוּ וְֽהֻמְּכוּ כַּכֹּל יִקָּפְצוּן וּכְרֹאשׁ שִׁבֹּלֶת יִמָּֽלוּ׃ | 24 |
Though they may be illustrious for a while, soon they are gone. They are brought down like all others, cut off like the heads of grain.
וְאִם־לֹא אֵפוֹ מִי יַכְזִיבֵנִי וְיָשֵׂם לְאַל מִלָּתִֽי׃ | 25 |
If this isn't so, who can prove I'm a liar and there's nothing to what I say?”