Job 24
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 24
The Injustice Crying Out in the World[a]
1 “The actual day of judgment is known by the Almighty;
why does he not reveal it to his faithful?[b]
2 Those who are wicked move boundary stones;
they seize flocks and pasture them.
3 They drive off the donkey belonging to the orphan;
they take away the widow’s ox as security.
4 They push aside the needy off the road;
those who are destitute are forced into hiding.
5 “Like wild donkeys of the wilderness
the poor go forth at dawn
searching the wasteland for food
with which to feed their children.
6 In the fields they reap what is not theirs
and steal from the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked,
lacking anything to shelter them from the cold.
8 They are soaked by the mountain rain
and cling to the rocks as a source of shelter.
9 “The fatherless child is snatched from the breast
and carried off as a pledge of security.
10 They go about their work naked, without clothing;
despite their hunger they carry the sheaves.
11 Along the pathways they press out the oil;
they tread the winepresses but themselves suffer thirst.
12 From the town the groans of the dying are heard,
and those who are wounded cry out for help,
yet God remains deaf to their prayer.
13 “There also are those who rebel against the light;
they are ignorant of its ways
and refuse to frequent its paths.
14 When nightfall descends, the murderer arises
to slay the poor and the needy;
during the night he steals forth like a thief.
15 “The eye of the adulterer also waits eagerly for twilight,
thinking, ‘No eye will see me.’
16 In the darkness men break into houses,
but during the day they shut themselves in,
for they are strangers to daylight.
17 Deep darkness is morning to them;
they only feel comfortable amid the terrors of the night.
God Carefully Monitors the Conduct of the Mighty[c]
18 “Such men are debris on the surface of the water;
their portion in the land is accursed,
and no laborer will toil in their vineyards.
19 As drought and heat melt the snow,
so does the netherworld cause sinners to disappear.
20 The womb that shaped them remembers them no more,
and the worm sucks them dry.
21 “They maltreat the barren and childless woman
and show no kindness to the widow.
22 God may sustain the mighty through his strength,
but he carefully monitors their conduct.
23 He grants them a sense of security,
but his eyes are fixed on their ways.
24 They are exalted for a while,
and then they are gone;
they wither and fade like a flower,
shriveling up like ears of grain.
25 “If all this is not true, who will prove me wrong
and show that my words are sheer nonsense?”
Footnotes
- Job 24:1 Here, as in places elsewhere, the translations differ widely (but without any of them achieving a clear meaning) in an effort to correct an unintelligible original.
- Job 24:1 Job is eagerly, but vainly, looking for the moment when God will intervene as on the “day of the Lord,” or day of judgment, foretold by the Prophets (see Am 5:18).
- Job 24:18 This passage unduly breaks into the speech. Some critics prefer to think that it was displaced when the texts were being transcribed and that it should be put after Job 27:23, which is likewise anomalous. The two passages, which fit together rather well, would then make up Zophar’s third speech.
Job 24
GOD’S WORD Translation
Job Continues: Why Doesn’t God Punish Those Who Do Evil?
24 “Why doesn’t the Almighty set aside times ⌞for punishment⌟?
Why don’t those who are close to him see his days ⌞of judgment⌟?
2 “⌞People⌟ move boundary markers.
They steal flocks and tend them as shepherds.
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey.
They take the widow’s ox as security for a loan.
4 They force needy people off the road.
All the poor people of the country go into hiding.
5 Like wild donkeys in the desert,
poor people go out to do their work, looking for food.
The plains provide food for their children.
6 They harvest animal food in the field ⌞to feed themselves⌟.
They pick the leftover grapes in the wicked person’s vineyard.
7 All night they lie naked
without a covering from the cold.
8 They are drenched by the rainstorms in the mountains.
They hug the rocks because they can’t find shelter.
9 “⌞People⌟ snatch the ⌞nursing⌟ orphan from a breast
and take a poor woman’s baby as security for a loan.
10 ⌞That is why⌟ the poor go around naked.
They are hungry, yet they carry bundles of grain.
11 They press out olive oil between rows ⌞of olive trees⌟.
They stomp on grapes in wine vats, yet they are thirsty.
12 Those dying in the city groan.
Wounded people cry for help, but God pays no attention to their prayers.
13 “Such people are among those who rebel against the light.
They are not acquainted with its ways.
They do not stay on its paths.
14 At dawn murderers rise; they kill the poor and needy.
At night they become thieves.
15 Adulterers watch for twilight.
They say, ‘No one is watching us,’ as they cover their faces.
16 In the dark, they break into houses,
⌞but⌟ by day they lock themselves in.
They do not ⌞even⌟ know the light,
17 because morning and deep darkness are the same to them,
because they are familiar with the terrors of deep darkness.
18 Such people are like scum on the surface of the water.
Their property is cursed in the land.
People do not travel the road that goes to their vineyards.
19 ⌞Just as⌟ drought and heat steal water from snow,
so the grave steals people who sin.
20 The womb forgets them.
Worms feast on them.
No one remembers them anymore,
and wickedness is snapped like a twig.
21 These men take advantage of childless women.
These men show no kindness to widows.
22 ⌞God⌟ will drag away ⌞these⌟ mighty men by his power.
These people may prosper,
but they will never feel secure about life.
23 ⌞God⌟ may let them feel confident and self-reliant,
but his eyes are on their ways.
24 ⌞Such people⌟ may be prosperous for a little while,
but then they’re gone.
They are brought down low and disappear like everything else.
They wither like heads of grain.
25 “If it isn’t so, who can prove I’m a liar
and show that my words are worthless?”
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