1“Why are [a]times not stored up by the Almighty,

And why do those who know Him not see His [b]days?

2“People remove landmarks;

They seize and [c]devour flocks.

3“They drive away the donkeys of orphans;

They seize the widow’s ox as a pledge.

4“They push the needy aside from the road;

The poor of the land have to hide themselves together.

5“Behold, like wild donkeys in the wilderness

They 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“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 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 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 arises at dawn;

He kills the poor and the needy,

And at night he is like a thief.

15“The eye of the adulterer watches for [f]twilight,

Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’

And he [g]disguises his face.

16“In the darkness they dig into houses,

They 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 terrors of thick darkness.

18“They are [h]insignificant on the surface of the water;

Their plot of land on the earth is cursed.

They do not turn [i]toward the vineyards.

19“Dryness and heat snatch away the snow waters,

As [j]Sheol snatches those who have sinned.

20“A [k]mother will forget him;

The maggot feeds sweetly until he is no longer remembered.

And injustice will be broken like a tree.

21“He wrongs the [l]infertile woman,

And does no good for the widow.

22“But He drags off the mighty by His power;

He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

23“He provides them with security, and they are supported;

And His eyes are on their ways.

24“They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;

Moreover, they are brought low, and like everything they are gathered up;

Like the heads of grain they wither.

25“Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,

And make my speech worthless?”