Job 24
Authorized (King James) Version
24 Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty,
do they 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:
the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
5 Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey:
the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.
6 They reap every one his corn in the field:
and they gather the vintage of the wicked.
7 They cause the naked to lodge without clothing,
that they have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains,
and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.
9 They pluck the fatherless from the breast,
and take a pledge of the poor.
10 They cause him to go naked without clothing,
and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;
11 which make oil within their walls,
and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.
12 Men groan from out of the city,
and the soul of the wounded crieth out:
yet God layeth not folly to them.
13 They are of those that rebel against the light;
they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
14 The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy,
and in the night is as a thief.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight,
saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses,
which they had marked for themselves in the daytime:
they know not the light.
17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death:
if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth:
he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.
19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters:
so doth the grave those which have sinned.
20 The womb shall forget him;
the worm shall feed sweetly on him;
he shall be no more remembered;
and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
21 He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not:
and doeth not good to the widow.
22 He draweth also the mighty with his power:
he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.
23 Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth;
yet his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while,
but are gone and brought low;
they are taken out of the way as all other,
and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
25 And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar,
and make my speech nothing worth?
Job 24
New Living Translation
Job Asks Why the Wicked Are Not Punished
24 “Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment?
Why must the godly wait for him in vain?
2 Evil people steal land by moving the boundary markers.
They steal livestock and put them in their own pastures.
3 They take the orphan’s donkey
and demand the widow’s ox as security for a loan.
4 The poor are pushed off the path;
the needy must hide together for safety.
5 Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
the poor must spend all their time looking for food,
searching even in the desert for food for their children.
6 They harvest a field they do not own,
and they glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
7 All night they lie naked in the cold,
without clothing or covering.
8 They are soaked by mountain showers,
and they huddle against the rocks for want of a home.
9 “The wicked snatch a widow’s child from her breast,
taking the baby as security for a loan.
10 The poor must go about naked, without any clothing.
They harvest food for others while they themselves are starving.
11 They press out olive oil without being allowed to taste it,
and they tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst.
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the wounded cry for help,
yet God ignores their moaning.
13 “Wicked people rebel against the light.
They refuse to acknowledge its ways
or stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises in the early dawn
to kill the poor and needy;
at night he is a thief.
15 The adulterer waits for the twilight,
saying, ‘No one will see me then.’
He hides his face so no one will know him.
16 Thieves break into houses at night
and sleep in the daytime.
They are not acquainted with the light.
17 The black night is their morning.
They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.
18 “But they disappear like foam down a river.
Everything they own is cursed,
and they are afraid to enter their own vineyards.
19 The grave[a] consumes sinners
just as drought and heat consume snow.
20 Their own mothers will forget them.
Maggots will find them sweet to eat.
No one will remember them.
Wicked people are broken like a tree in the storm.
21 They cheat the woman who has no son to help her.
They refuse to help the needy widow.
22 “God, in his power, drags away the rich.
They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life.
23 They may be allowed to live in security,
but God is always watching them.
24 And though they are great now,
in a moment they will be gone like all others,
cut off like heads of grain.
25 Can anyone claim otherwise?
Who can prove me wrong?”
Footnotes
- 24:19 Hebrew Sheol.
Job 24
Tree of Life Version
Futility of Injustice
24 “Why are times not stored up by Shaddai?
And why do those who know Him not see His days?
2 Some remove the boundary-stones;
they steal flocks and pasture them.
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They turn the needy off the path;
they force the poor of the land into hiding.
5 Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert, they go about their work,
foraging prey in the desert as food for their children.
6 They reap their fodder in the field
and glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 Without clothing they spend the night naked,
without covering against the cold.
8 They are drenched by mountain rains,
and hug the rock for lack of shelter.
9 The orphan is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is taken as a pledge.
10 They wander about naked, without clothing
and go hungry while they carry sheaves.
11 They press oil between the terraces;
they tread winepresses, but are thirsty.
12 From the city men groan,
and the souls of the wounded cry out;
yet God charges no one with folly.
13 These are those who rebel against the light,
who do not recognize its ways or stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises with the light, kills the poor and needy,
and in the night becomes a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer waits for twilight,
thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he disguises his face.
16 When it is dark, they break into houses,
but by day, they shut themselves in;
they do not know the light.
17 For to all of them, morning is as thick darkness;
they are familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.
18 “He is foam on the surface of water;
their portion of the land is cursed;
no one turns toward their vineyards.
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,
so Sheol, takes away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets him,
the worm feasts on him,
no longer will he be remembered.
But like a tree, wickedness is broken.
21 He feeds on the barren and childless woman,
and shows no kindness to the widow.
22 But He drags off the mighty by His power;
He raises up, yet no one has assurance of life.
23 He allows him to rest in a sense of security,
but His eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while
and then they are gone;
they are brought low
and gathered up like all others,
they are like heads of grain they wither.
25 Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,
and reduce my speech to nothing?”
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.