New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
1"Why are times not stored up by the Almighty, And why do those who know Him not see His days? | 1“Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Why must the godly wait for him in vain? |
2"Some remove the landmarks; They seize and devour flocks. | 2Evil people steal land by moving the boundary markers. They steal livestock and put them in their own pastures. |
3"They drive away the donkeys of the orphans; They take the widow's ox for a pledge. | 3They take the orphan’s donkey and demand the widow’s ox as security for a loan. |
4"They push the needy aside from the road; The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether. | 4The poor are pushed off the path; the needy must hide together for safety. |
5"Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness They go forth seeking food in their activity, As bread for their children in the desert. | 5Like 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 their fodder in the field And glean the vineyard of the wicked. | 6They harvest a field they do not own, and they glean in the vineyards of the wicked. |
7"They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering against the cold. | 7All night they lie naked in the cold, without clothing or covering. |
8"They are wet with the mountain rains And hug the rock for want of a shelter. | 8They are soaked by mountain showers, and they huddle against the rocks for want of a home. |
9"Others snatch the orphan from the breast, And against the poor they take a pledge. | 9“The wicked snatch a widow’s child from her breast, taking the baby as security for a loan. |
10"They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing, And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. | 10The poor must go about naked, without any clothing. They harvest food for others while they themselves are starving. |
11"Within the walls they produce oil; They tread wine presses but thirst. | 11They press out olive oil without being allowed to taste it, and they tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst. |
12"From the city men groan, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not pay attention to folly. | 12The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the wounded cry for help, yet God ignores their moaning. |
13"Others have been with those who rebel against the light; They do not want to know its ways Nor abide in its paths. | 13“Wicked people rebel against the light. They refuse to acknowledge its ways or stay in its paths. |
14"The murderer arises at dawn; He kills the poor and the needy, And at night he is as a thief. | 14The murderer rises in the early dawn to kill the poor and needy; at night he is a thief. |
15"The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye will see me.' And he disguises his face. | 15The adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No one will see me then.’ He hides his face so no one will know him. |
16"In the dark they dig into houses, They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light. | 16Thieves break into houses at night and sleep in the daytime. They are not acquainted with the light. |
17"For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness, For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness. | 17The black night is their morning. They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness. |
18"They are insignificant on the surface of the water; Their portion is cursed on the earth. They do not turn toward the vineyards. | 18“But they disappear like foam down a river. Everything they own is cursed, and they are afraid to enter their own vineyards. |
19"Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned. | 19The grave consumes sinners just as drought and heat consume snow. |
20"A mother will forget him; The worm feeds sweetly till he is no longer remembered. And wickedness will be broken like a tree. | 20Their 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"He wrongs the barren woman And does no good for the widow. | 21They cheat the woman who has no son to help her. They refuse to help the needy widow. |
22"But He drags off the valiant by His power; He rises, but no one has assurance of life. | 22“God, in his power, drags away the rich. They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life. |
23"He provides them with security, and they are supported; And His eyes are on their ways. | 23They may be allowed to live in security, but God is always watching them. |
24"They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up; Even like the heads of grain they are cut off. | 24And though they are great now, in a moment they will be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain. |
25"Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar, And make my speech worthless?" | 25Can anyone claim otherwise? Who can prove me wrong?” |
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | 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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