Job 24
1 “Why aren’t times laid up by the Almighty? Why don’t those who know him see his days?
Why are times not stored up by the Ruler of all, and why do those who have knowledge of him not see his days?
2 There are people who remove the landmarks. They violently take away flocks, and feed them.
The landmarks are changed by evil men, they violently take away flocks, together with their keepers.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, and they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
They send away the ass of him who has no father, they take the widow's ox for debt.
4 They turn the needy out of the way. The poor of the earth all hide themselves.
The crushed are turned out of the way; all the poor of the earth go into a secret place together.
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.
Like asses in the waste land they go out to their work, looking for food with care; from the waste land they get bread for their children.
6 They cut their food in the field. They glean the vineyard of the wicked.
They get mixed grain from the field, and they take away the late fruit from the vines of those who have wealth.
7 They lie all night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold.
They take their rest at night without clothing, and have no cover in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for lack of a shelter.
They are wet with the rain of the mountains, and get into the cracks of the rock for cover.
9 There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor,
The child without a father is forced from its mother's breast, and they take the young children of the poor for debt.
10 so that they go around naked without clothing. Being hungry, they carry the sheaves.
Others go about without clothing, and though they have no food, they get in the grain from the fields.
11 They make oil within the walls of these men. They tread wine presses, and suffer thirst.
Between the lines of olive-trees they make oil; though they have no drink, they are crushing out the grapes.
12 From out of the populous city, men groan. The soul of the wounded cries out, yet God doesn’t regard the folly.
From the town come sounds of pain from those who are near death, and the soul of the wounded is crying out for help; but God does not take note of their prayer.
13 “These are of those who rebel against the light. They don’t know its ways, nor stay in its paths.
Then there are those who are haters of the light, who have no knowledge of its ways, and do not go in them.
14 The murderer rises with the light. He kills the poor and needy. In the night he is like a thief.
He who is purposing death gets up before day, so that he may put to death the poor and those in need.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me.’ He disguises his face.
And the man whose desire is for the wife of another is waiting for the evening, saying, No eye will see me; and he puts a cover on his face. And in the night the thief goes about;
16 In the dark they dig through houses. They shut themselves up in the daytime. They don’t know the light.
In the dark he makes holes in the walls of houses: in the daytime they are shutting themselves up, they have no knowledge of the light.
17 For the morning is to all of them like thick darkness, for they know the terrors of the thick darkness.
For the middle of the night is as morning to them, they are not troubled by the fear of the dark.
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.
They go quickly on the face of the waters; their heritage is cursed in the earth; the steps of the crusher of grapes are not turned to their vine-garden.
Snow waters become dry with the heat: so do sinners go down into the underworld. (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.
The public place of his town has no more knowledge of him, and his name has gone from the memory of men: he is rooted up like a dead tree.
21 He devours the barren who don’t bear. He shows no kindness to the widow.
He is not kind to the widow, and he has no pity for her child.
22 Yet God preserves the mighty by his power. He rises up who has no assurance of life.
But God by his power gives long life to the strong; he gets up again, though he has no hope of life.
23 God gives them security, and they rest in it. His eyes are on their ways.
He takes away his fear of danger and gives him support; and his eyes are on his 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.
For a short time they are lifted up; then they are gone; they are made low, they are pulled off like fruit, and like the heads of grain they are cut off.
25 If it isn’t so now, who will prove me a liar, and make my speech worth nothing?”
And if it is not so, now, who will make it clear that my words are false, and that what I say is of no value?
