Job 24

Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs

1 ^a“Why are ^{▼▼ I.e. times of judgment}times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see ^cHis days?
2 ^{▼▼ Lit They}“Some ^eremove the landmarks;
They seize and ^{▼▼ Or pasture}devour flocks.
3 “They drive away the donkeys of the ^gorphans;
They take the ^hwidow’s ox for a pledge.
4 “They push ⁱthe needy aside from the road;
The ^jpoor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
5 “Behold, as ^kwild donkeys in the wilderness
They ^lgo forth seeking food in their activity,
As ^{▼▼ Lit his bread}bread for their children in the desert.
6 “They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 ⁿ“They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
8 “They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
9 ^{▼▼ Lit They}“Others snatch the ^porphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
10 “They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 “Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
12 “From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God ^qdoes not pay attention to folly.

13 ^{▼▼ Lit They}“Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
14 “The murderer ^sarises at dawn;
He ^tkills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is as a thief.
15 “The eye of the ^uadulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he ^{▼▼ Or puts a covering on his face}disguises his face.
16 “In the dark they ^wdig into houses,
They ^xshut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
17 “For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the ^yterrors of thick darkness.

18 “They are ^{▼▼ Or light or swift
,} ^aainsignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is ^abcursed on the earth.
They do not turn ^{▼▼ Lit to the path of}toward the ^advineyards.
19 “Drought and heat ^{▼▼ Lit seize
,} ^afconsume the snow waters,
So does ^{▼▼ I.e. nether world
,} ^ahSheol those who have sinned.
20 “A ^{▼▼ Lit womb
,} ^ajmother will forget him;
The ^akworm feeds sweetly till he is ^alno longer remembered.
And wickedness will be broken ^amlike a tree.
21 “He wrongs the ^{▼▼ Lit barren who does not bear}barren woman
And does no good for ^aothe widow.
22 “But He drags off the valiant by ^apHis power;
He rises, but ^aqno one has assurance of life.
23 “He provides them ^arwith security, and they are supported;
And His ^aseyes are on their ways.
24 “They are exalted a ^atlittle while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are ^aubrought low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
25 “Now if it is not so, ^avwho can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”