Job 24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job Complains of Violence on the Earth
24 “Why are times not kept by the Almighty,[a]
and why do those who know him never see his days?(A)
2 The wicked[b] remove landmarks;
they seize flocks and pasture them.(B)
3 They drive away the donkey of the orphan;
they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.(C)
4 They thrust the needy off the road;
the poor of the earth all hide themselves.(D)
5 Like wild asses in the desert
they go out to their toil,
scavenging in the wasteland
food for their young.(E)
6 They reap in a field not their own,
and they glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They lie all night naked, without clothing,
and have no covering in the cold.(F)
8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains
and cling to the rock for want of shelter.(G)
9 “There are those who snatch the orphan child from the breast
and take as a pledge the infant of the poor.(H)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
though hungry, they carry the sheaves;
11 between their terraces[c] they press out oil;
they tread the winepresses but suffer thirst.
12 From the city the dying groan,
and the throat of the wounded cries for help;
yet God pays no attention to their prayer.(I)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,
who are not acquainted with its ways
and do not stay in its paths.(J)
14 The murderer rises at dusk
to kill the poor and needy
and in the night is like a thief.(K)
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,
saying, ‘No eye will see me,’
and he disguises his face.(L)
16 In the dark they dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves up;
they do not know the light.(M)
17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them;
for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.(N)
18 “Swift are they on the face of the waters;
their portion in the land is cursed;
no treader turns toward their vineyards.(O)
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
so does Sheol those who have sinned.(P)
20 The womb forgets them;
the worm finds them sweet;
they are no longer remembered,
so wickedness is broken like a tree.(Q)
21 “They harm[d] the childless woman
and do no good to the widow.(R)
22 Yet God[e] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.(S)
23 He gives them security, and they are supported;
his eyes are upon their ways.(T)
24 They are exalted a little while and then are gone;
they wither and fade like the mallow;[f]
they are cut off like the heads of grain.(U)
25 If it is not so, who will prove me a liar
and show that there is nothing in what I say?”
Job 24
International Standard Version
Job Describes Social Injustice
24 Why doesn’t the Almighty reserve time for judgment?
And why don’t those who know him perceive his days?
2 They move boundary stones,[a]
steal flocks, and pasture them.[b]
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey;
they take the ox of the widow as security for a loan;[c]
4 They push the needy off the road,
and force the poor of the land into hiding.
5 “Look! Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
they work diligently as they seek wild game in the desert,
food for them and their young ones.
6 They reap fodder in the field
and glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked, without clothing,
with no covering against the cold.
8 They are wet from mountain rains;
without shelter, they cling to a rock.
9 “The fatherless are torn from the breast;
the poor are taken away as security for a loan.[d]
10 They wander around naked, without clothes;
hungry, though they carry sheaves of grain.[e]
11 They press oil between the olive groves owned by the wicked;
they suffer from thirst, even while treading the winepress.
12 From the city, dying men groan aloud,
and the wounded cries out for help,
but God charges no one with wrong.
13 “Then there are those who rebel against the light;
they are not acquainted with its ways;
and they don’t stay on its course.[f]
14 The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy;
at night, he is like a thief.
15 The adulterer watches for twilight,[g]
saying, ‘No eye is watching me’
while he veils his face.
16 They break into houses in the dark;
during the day they remained sealed in.
They don’t know daylight.
17 As a group, deep darkness is their morning time;
fear that lives in darkness is their friend.”
Social Injustice will Be Punished
18 “They remain only a short time on the water’s surface;
their inheritance will be cursed in the land;
no one will work in their vineyards.
19 As drought and heat evaporate melting snow,
that’s what Sheol[h] does with sinners.
20 The womb will forget them.
Maggots will find them to be a delicacy!
They won’t be remembered anymore,
their iniquity will be cut to pieces like firewood.[i]
21 “They prey on the barren woman,
and do no favors for widows.
22 God[j] prolongs the life of the strong by his power,
but they get up in the morning[k] without purpose in life.
23 He gives them security and financial support,
but he watches everything they do.
24 They’re exalted momentarily, but then they are gone;
they are humbled,[l] just like all the others.
They are cut down like heads of corn.
25 If this weren’t so, who can prove that I’m a liar
by showing that there’s nothing to what I’m saying?”
Footnotes
- Job 24:2 Or borders
- Job 24:2 The Heb. lacks them
- Job 24:3 The Heb. lacks for a loan
- Job 24:9 The Heb. lacks for a loan
- Job 24:10 The Heb. lacks grain
- Job 24:13 Or path
- Job 24:15 Lit. twilight
- Job 24:19 I.e. the realm of the afterlife
- Job 24:20 Lit. like a tree
- Job 24:22 Lit. He
- Job 24:22 The Heb. lacks in the morning
- Job 24:24 Or brought low
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