Holman Christian Standard Bible | English Standard Version |
1Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why do those who know Him never see His days? | 1“Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? |
2The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. | 2Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. |
3They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless and take the widow's ox as collateral. | 3They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge. |
4They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. | 4They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves. |
5Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the wilderness provides nourishment for their children. | 5Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poor go out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children. |
6They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. | 6They gather their fodder in the field, and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man. |
7Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. | 7They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. |
8Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. | 8They are wet with the rain of the mountains and cling to the rock for lack of shelter. |
9The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. | 9(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.) |
10Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry. | 10They go about naked, without clothing; hungry, they carry the sheaves; |
11They crush olives in their presses; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty. | 11among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil; they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst. |
12From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime. | 12From out of the city the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help; yet God charges no one with wrong. |
13The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths. | 13“There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. |
14The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy, and by night he becomes a thief. | 14The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. |
15The adulterer's eye watches for twilight, thinking: No eye will see me; he covers his face. | 15The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me’; and he veils his face. |
16In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light. | 16In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. |
17For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness! | 17For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. |
18They float on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards. | 18“You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the land; no treader turns toward their vineyards. |
19As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. | 19Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned. |
20The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree. | 20The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; they are no longer remembered, so wickedness is broken like a tree.’ |
21They prey on the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow. | 21“They wrong the barren, childless woman, and do no good to the widow. |
22Yet God drags away the mighty by His power; when He rises up, they have no assurance of life. | 22Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life. |
23He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it, but His eyes watch over their ways. | 23He gives them security, and they are supported, and his eyes are upon their ways. |
24They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain. | 24They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like the heads of grain. |
25If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar and show that my speech is worthless? | 25If it is not so, who will prove me a liar and show that there is nothing in what I say?” |
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