| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why do those who know Him never see His days? | 1Why doesn't the Almighty reserve time for judgment? and why don't those who know him perceive his days? |
| 2The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. | 2They move boundary stones, steal flocks, and pasture them. |
| 3They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless and take the widow's ox as collateral. | 3They drive away the orphan's donkey; they take the ox of the widow as security for a loan; |
| 4They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. | 4They push the needy off the road, and force the poor of the land into hiding. |
| 5Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the wilderness provides nourishment for their children. | 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. |
| 6They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. | 6They reap fodder in the field and glean in the vineyard of the wicked. |
| 7Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. | 7They spend the night naked, without clothing, with no covering against the cold. |
| 8Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. | 8They are wet from mountain rains; without shelter, they cling to a rock. |
| 9The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. | 9"The fatherless are torn from the breast; the poor are taken away as security for a loan. |
| 10Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry. | 10They wander around naked, without clothes; hungry, though they carry sheaves of grain. |
| 11They crush olives in their presses; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty. | 11They press oil between the olive groves owned by the wicked; they suffer from thirst, even while treading the winepress. |
| 12From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime. | 12From the city, dying men groan aloud, and the wounded cries out for help, but God charges no one with wrong. |
| 13The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths. | 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. |
| 14The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy, and by night he becomes a thief. | 14The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy; at night, he is like a thief. |
| 15The adulterer's eye watches for twilight, thinking: No eye will see me; he covers his face. | 15The adulterer watches for twilight, saying, 'No eye is watching me' while he veils his face. |
| 16In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light. | 16They break into houses in the dark; during the day they remained sealed in. They don't know daylight. |
| 17For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness! | 17As a group, deep darkness is their morning time; fear that lives in darkness is their friend." |
| 18They float on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards. | 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. |
| 19As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. | 19As drought and heat evaporate melting snow, that's what Sheol does with sinners. |
| 20The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree. | 20The 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. |
| 21They prey on the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow. | 21"They prey on the barren woman, and do no favors for widows. |
| 22Yet God drags away the mighty by His power; when He rises up, they have no assurance of life. | 22God prolongs the life of the strong by his power, but they get up in the morning without purpose in life. |
| 23He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it, but His eyes watch over their ways. | 23He gives them security and financial support, but he watches everything they do. |
| 24They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain. | 24They're exalted momentarily, but then they are gone; they are humbled, just like all the others. They are cut down like heads of corn. |
| 25If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar and show that my speech is worthless? | 25If this weren't so, who can prove that I'm a liar by showing that there's nothing to what I'm saying?" |
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