Job 24
Lexham English Bible
Job’s Eighth Speech, Continued
24 “Why are not times kept by Shaddai,
and why do not those who know him see his days?
2 They[a] remove border stones;
they seize flocks, and they pasture them.
3 They drive away the donkey of orphans;
they take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They thrust the poor off the road;
the needy of the earth hide themselves together.[b]
5 “Look, like wild donkeys in the desert
they[c] go out to their labor as searchers for the prey;
the wilderness is[d] their[e] food for the young.
6 They reap their[f] fodder in the field,
and they glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked, without[g] clothing,
and they have no garment in the cold.
8 They are wet from the rainstorm of the mountains,[h]
and they cling to the rock without[i] refuge.
9 “They[j] snatch the orphan from the breast,
and they take a pledge against the needy.[k]
10 They[l] go about naked, without clothing,
and hungry, they carry the sheaves.[m]
11 Between their terraces they press out oil;
they tread the presses, but[n] they are thirsty.
12 From the city people groan,
and the throat[o] of the wounded cries for help;
yet[p] God does not regard it as unseemly.[q]
13 “Those are among the ones rebelling against the light;
they do not recognize his ways,
and they do not stay in his paths.
14 At dusk[r] the murderer rises;
he kills the needy and the poor,
and in the night he is like a[s] thief.
15 And the eye of the adulterer waits for dusk,
saying, ‘No eye will see me,’[t]
and he places a covering on his face.
16 He digs through houses in the darkness;
by day they shut themselves in—
they do not know the light
17 because morning likewise is to them deep darkness;
indeed, they know about the terrors of deep darkness.
18 “He himself[u] is swift on the water’s surface;
their portion is cursed in the land.
No one turns toward the path of their vineyards.[v]
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters,
like Sheol snatches away those[w] who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets him.
The maggot feasts on him until he is no longer remembered,
and wickedness is broken like a[x] tree.
21 He feeds on the barren, who does not have a child,
and does no good to the widow.
22 Yet[y] he[z] carries off the tyrants by his strength;
if he rises up, then[aa] he[ab] cannot be certain of life.[ac]
23 He[ad] gives security to him, and he is[ae] supported,
but[af] his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted a little while, then[ag] they are gone.[ah]
And they are brought low; they are cut off like all others,
and like the heads of grain they wither away.
25 “And if it is not so, then who can prove me a liar
and reduce my word to nothing?”
Footnotes
- Job 24:2 Or “Some” (NASU, ESV) or “Men” (NIV, NET)
- Job 24:4 Or “altogether”
- Job 24:5 That is, the poor
- Job 24:5 Or “provides”
- Job 24:5 Hebrew “for their”
- Job 24:6 Hebrew “his”
- Job 24:7 Literally “from not”
- Job 24:8 Or “from the mountain rainstorm”
- Job 24:8 Literally “from not”
- Job 24:9 That is, those who oppress the poor
- Job 24:9 Or “And they take the child of the needy as a pledge”
- Job 24:10 That is, the poor
- Job 24:10 Or “and they carry the sheaves though hungry”
- Job 24:11 Hebrew “and”
- Job 24:12 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Job 24:12 Hebrew “and”
- Job 24:12 Literally “he puts offensiveness”
- Job 24:14 Literally “At the light”
- Job 24:14 Or “the”
- Job 24:15 Literally “‘An eye will not see me’”
- Job 24:18 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 24:18 Literally “He does not turn toward the path of the vineyard”
- Job 24:19 Or “they/them”
- Job 24:20 Or “the”
- Job 24:22 Hebrew “And”
- Job 24:22 The probable antecedent is God
- Job 24:22 Hebrew “and”
- Job 24:22 The antecedent of the singular here probably changes to the wicked person
- Job 24:22 Hebrew “the life”
- Job 24:23 The probable antecedent is God
- Job 24:23 Or “they are”
- Job 24:23 Hebrew “and”
- Job 24:24 Literally “and”
- Job 24:24 Literally “he is not”
Job 24
English Standard Version
24 “Why are (A)not times of judgment (B)kept by the Almighty,
and why do those who know him never see his (C)days?
2 Some move (D)landmarks;
they seize flocks and pasture them.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
they (E)take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4 They (F)thrust the poor off the road;
the poor of the earth (G)all hide themselves.
5 Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
the poor[a] (H)go out to their toil, (I)seeking game;
the wasteland yields food for their children.
6 They gather their[b] fodder in the field,
and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
7 They (J)lie all night naked, without clothing,
and have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains
and (K)cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
9 (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
and they take a pledge against the poor.)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
hungry, they (L)carry the sheaves;
11 among the olive rows of the wicked[c] they make oil;
they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the city the dying[d] groan,
and the soul of (M)the wounded cries for help;
yet God charges no one with (N)wrong.
13 “There are those who rebel (O)against the light,
who are not acquainted with its ways,
and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises before it is light,
that he (P)may kill the poor and needy,
and in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for (Q)the twilight,
saying, ‘No (R)eye will see me’;
and he veils his face.
16 In the dark they (S)dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves up;
they do not know the light.
17 For (T)deep darkness is morning to all of them;
for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.
18 “You say, (U)‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
their portion is cursed in the land;
no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
so does (V)Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
the worm finds them sweet;
they are (W)no longer remembered,
so wickedness is broken like (X)a tree.’
21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God[e] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.
23 He gives them security, and they are supported,
and his (Y)eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted (Z)a little while, and then (AA)are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are (AB)cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If it is (AC)not so, who will prove me a liar
and show that there is nothing in what I say?”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
