18 They float[a] 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(A) steals those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
worms feed on them;
they are remembered(B) no more.
So injustice is broken like a tree.
21 They prey on[b] the childless woman who is unable to conceive,
and do not deal kindly with the widow.
22 Yet God drags away[c] 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,(C)
but His eyes(D) 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.[d]
They wither like heads of grain.(E)

25 If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar(F)
and show that my speech is worthless?

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Footnotes

  1. Job 24:18 Lit are insignificant
  2. Job 24:21 LXX, Tg read They harm
  3. Job 24:22 Or God prolongs [the life of]
  4. Job 24:24 LXX reads like a mallow plant in the heat

18 They are scum on the water’s surface;
    their portion of the land is cursed;
    no one walks down a path in the vineyards.
19 Drought and heat steal melted snow,
    just as the underworld[a] steals sinners.
20 The womb forgets them;
    the worm consumes them;
        they aren’t remembered,
        and so wickedness is shattered like a tree.
21 They prey on the barren, the childless,
    do nothing good for the widow.
22 They drag away the strong by force;
    they may get up but without guarantee of survival.
23 They make themselves secure;
        they are at ease.
His[b] eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted for a short time, but no longer.
    They are humbled then gathered in like everyone else;
        cut off like heads of grain.
25 If this isn’t so, who can prove me a liar
    and make my words disappear?

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Footnotes

  1. Job 24:19 Heb Sheol
  2. Job 24:23 Or God’s