1 "Why aren’t times laid up by the Almighty?
Why don’t those who know him see his days?
2 There are people who remove the landmarks.
They violently take away flocks, and feed them.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless,
and they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 They turn the needy out of the way.
The poor of the earth all 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.
6 They cut their food in the field.
They glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They lie all night naked 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.
9 There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast,
and take a pledge of the poor,
10 so that they go around naked without clothing.
Being hungry, they carry the sheaves.
11 They make oil within the walls of these men.
They tread wine presses, and suffer thirst.
12 From out of the populous city, men groan.
The soul of the wounded cries out,
yet God doesn’t regard the folly.
13 "These are of those who rebel against the light.
They don’t know its ways,
nor stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises with the light.
He kills the poor and needy.
In the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
He disguises his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses.
They shut themselves up in the daytime.
They don’t know the light.
17 For the morning is to all of them like thick darkness,
for they know the terrors of the thick darkness.
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.
19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters,
so does Sheol those who have sinned.
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.
21 He devours the barren who don’t bear.
He shows no kindness to the widow.
22 Yet God preserves the mighty by his power.
He rises up who has no assurance of life.
23 God gives them security, and they rest in it.
His eyes are on 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.
25 If it isn’t so now, who will prove me a liar,
and make my speech worth nothing?"
1 Why, seeing that times are not hidden from the Almighty, do those that know him not see his days?
2 [Some] remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks and feed [thereof].
3 They drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4 They turn the needy out of the way; and all the poor of the earth hide themselves [from them].
5 Behold, [as] wild asses in the desert, they go forth to their work, rising early for a prey; the wilderness [yields] food for them [and] for [their] children.
6 In the field they reap their fodder, and the wicked gather the vintage [that is not theirs].
7 They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that [they have] no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the floods of the mountains and embrace the rock for want of a covering.
9 They pluck the fatherless from the breast and take a pledge of the poor.
10 They cause the naked to go without clothing, and they take away the sheaves [from] the hungry.
11 They press oil within their walls [and] tread [their] winepresses and suffer thirst.
12 Men groan from out of the city, and the souls of the dead cry out; yet God did not hinder [them].
13 They are among those that rebel against the light; they have never known its ways nor abided in its paths.
14 The murderer rises with the light, kills the poor and the needy, and in the night is as a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me; and disguises [his] face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses, [which] they had marked for themselves in the daytime; they do not know the light.
17 For the morning [is] to them even as the shadow of death; if they are known, the terrors of the shadow of death [come over them].
18 They are swift upon the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; they never come by the way of the vineyards.
19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters; [so does] Sheol [consume those who] have sinned.
20 The Merciful One shall forget them; the worm shall feed sweetly on them; they shall never be remembered again; and iniquity shall be broken as a tree.
21 He afflicted the barren woman that did not conceive and never did good unto the widow.
22 He furthered the violent with his power; he did not lend to anyone in his life.
23 [If] he gave credit [to some] to take [them] over, his eyes [were] upon their ways.
24 They were exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all [others] and cut off as the tops of the heads of grain.
25 And if [it is] not so now, who will make me a liar or reduce my speech to nothing?: