Job 24
New American Standard Bible
Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs
24 “(A)Why are [a]times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see (B)His [b]days?
2 People (C)remove landmarks;
They seize and [c]devour flocks.
3 They drive away the donkeys of (D)orphans;
They seize the (E)widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They push (F)the needy aside from the road;
The (G)poor of the land have to hide themselves together.
5 Behold, like (H)wild donkeys in the wilderness
They (I)go out scavenging for food in their activity,
As [d]bread for their children in the desert.
6 They harvest their feed in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 (J)They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
8 They are wet from the mountain rains,
And they hug the rock for lack of a shelter.
9 Others snatch an (K)orphan from the breast,
And they seize it as a pledge against the poor.
10 The poor move about naked without clothing,
And they carry sheaves, while going hungry.
11 Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but go thirsty.
12 From the city people groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry for help;
Yet God (L)does not pay attention to the offensiveness.
13 “[e]Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor stay in its paths.
14 The murderer (M)arises at dawn;
He (N)kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the (O)adulterer watches for [f]twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he [g]disguises his face.
16 In the darkness they (P)dig into houses,
They (Q)shut 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 (R)terrors of thick darkness.
18 “They are [h](S)insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their plot of land on the earth is (T)cursed.
They do not turn [i]toward the (U)vineyards.
19 Dryness and heat (V)snatch away the snow waters,
As [j](W)Sheol snatches those who have sinned.
20 A [k](X)mother will forget him;
The (Y)maggot feeds sweetly until he is (Z)no longer remembered.
And injustice will be broken (AA)like a tree.
21 He wrongs the [l]infertile woman,
And does no good for (AB)the widow.
22 But He drags off the mighty by (AC)His power;
He rises, but (AD)no one has assurance of life.
23 He provides them (AE)with security, and they are supported;
And His (AF)eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted a (AG)little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are (AH)brought low, and like everything they are gathered up;
Like the heads of grain they wither.
25 Now if it is not so, (AI)who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”
Footnotes
- Job 24:1 I.e., of judgment for the wicked
- Job 24:1 I.e., of judgment for the wicked
- Job 24:2 Or pasture
- Job 24:5 Lit his bread
- Job 24:13 Lit They
- Job 24:15 Lit the twilight
- Job 24:15 Or puts a covering on his face
- Job 24:18 Or light; or swift
- Job 24:18 Lit to the path of
- Job 24:19 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 24:20 Lit womb
- Job 24:21 Lit infertile who does not bear
Job 24
Holman Christian Standard Bible
24 Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment?(A)
Why do those who know Him never see His days?
2 The wicked displace boundary markers.
They steal a flock and provide pasture for it.
3 They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless(B)
and take the widow’s ox as collateral.
4 They push the needy off the road;
the poor of the land are forced into hiding.(C)
5 Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go out to their task of foraging for food;
the wilderness provides nourishment for their children.
6 They gather their fodder in the field
and glean the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked,
having no covering against the cold.(D)
8 Drenched by mountain rains,
they huddle against[a] the rocks, shelterless.
9 The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast;
the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral.[b]
10 Without clothing, they wander about naked.
They carry sheaves but go hungry.(E)
11 They crush olives in their presses;[c]
they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
12 From the city, men[d] groan;
the mortally wounded cry for help,
yet God pays no attention to this crime.(F)
13 The wicked are those who rebel against the light.
They do not recognize its ways
or stay on its paths.
14 The murderer rises at dawn
to kill the poor and needy,
and by night he becomes a thief.
15 The adulterer’s eye watches for twilight,
thinking: No eye will see me;
he covers his face.
16 In the dark they break[e] into houses;
by day they lock themselves in,[f]
never experiencing the light.
17 For the morning is like darkness to them.
Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness!
18 They float[g] on the surface of the water.
Their section of the land is cursed,
so that they never go to their vineyards.
19 As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow,
so Sheol(G) steals those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
worms feed on them;
they are remembered(H) no more.
So injustice is broken like a tree.
21 They prey on[h] the childless woman who is unable to conceive,
and do not deal kindly with the widow.
22 Yet God drags away[i] the mighty by His power;
when He rises up, they have no assurance of life.
23 He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it,(I)
but His eyes(J) watch over their ways.
24 They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone;
they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else.[j]
They wither like heads of grain.(K)
25 If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar(L)
and show that my speech is worthless?
Footnotes
- Job 24:8 Lit they embrace
- Job 24:9 Text emended; MT reads breast; they seize collateral against the poor
- Job 24:11 Lit olives between their rows
- Job 24:12 One Hb ms, Syr read the dying
- Job 24:16 Lit dig
- Job 24:16 Lit they seal for themselves
- Job 24:18 Lit are insignificant
- Job 24:21 LXX, Tg read They harm
- Job 24:22 Or God prolongs [the life of]
- Job 24:24 LXX reads like a mallow plant in the heat
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