Job 24
1 Wherefore from the Mighty One Times have not been hidden, And those knowing Him have not seen 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 The borders they reach, A drove they have taken violently away, Yea, they do evil.
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 lead away, 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 from the way, Together have hid the poor of the earth.
They force needy people out of their path; poor people of the earth all hide themselves from them.
5 Lo, wild asses in a wilderness, They have gone out about their work, Seeking early for prey, A mixture for himself — food for young ones.
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 a field his provender they reap, And the vineyard of the wicked they glean.
Poor people reap in the night in other people's fields; they glean grapes from the harvest of those wicked people.
7 The naked they cause to lodge Without clothing. And there is no covering in the cold.
They lie naked all night without clothing; they have no covering in the cold.
8 From the inundation of hills they are wet, And without a refuge — have embraced a rock.
They are wet with the showers of the mountains; they lie next to large rocks because they have no shelter.
9 They take violently away From the breast the orphan, And on the poor they lay 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 have gone without clothing, And hungry — have taken away a sheaf.
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 they make oil, Wine-presses they have trodden, and thirst.
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 Because of enmity men do groan, And the soul of pierced ones doth cry, And God doth not give praise.
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 been among rebellious ones of light, They have not discerned His ways, Nor abode in His paths.
Some of these wicked people rebel against the light; they know not its ways, nor do they stay in its paths.
14 At the light doth the murderer rise, He doth slay the poor and needy, And in the night he is as 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 an adulterer Hath observed the twilight, Saying, 'No eye doth behold me.' And he putteth the face in secret.
Also, the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight; he says, 'No eye will see me.' He disguises his face.
16 He hath dug in the darkness — houses; By day they shut themselves up, They have not known 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 When together, morning [is] to them death shade, When he discerneth the terrors of death shade.
For all of them, thick darkness is like the morning; for they are friends with the terrors of thick darkness.
18 Light he [is] on the face of the waters, Vilified is their portion in the earth, He turneth not the way of 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 Forget him doth the womb, Sweeten [on] him doth the worm, No more is he remembered, And broken as a tree is wickedness.
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 Treating evil the barren [who] beareth not, And [to] the widow he doth no good,
The wicked one devours the barren women who have not borne children; he does no good to the widow.
22 And hath drawn the mighty by his power, He riseth, and none believeth in life.
Yet God drags away the mighty people by his power; he rises up and does not strengthen them in life.
23 He giveth to him confidence, and he is supported, And his eyes [are] on their ways.
God allows them to think they are secure, and they are happy about that, but his eyes are on their ways.
24 High they were [for] a little, and they are not, And they have been brought low. As all [others] they are shut up, And as the head of an ear of corn cut off.
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 And if not now, who doth prove me a liar, And doth make of nothing my word?
If it is not so, who can prove me to be a liar; who can make my speech worth nothing?”
