NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
1"Why are times not appointed by the Almighty? Why do those who know him not see his days? | 1Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why do those who know Him never see His days? |
2Men move boundary stones; they seize the flock and pasture them. | 2The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. |
3They drive away the orphan's donkey; they take the widow's ox as a pledge. | 3They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless and take the widow's ox as collateral. |
4They turn the needy from the pathway, and the poor of the land hide themselves together. | 4They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. |
5Like wild donkeys in the desert they go out to their labor, seeking diligently for food; the wasteland provides food for them and for their children. | 5Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the wilderness provides nourishment for their children. |
6They reap fodder in the field, and glean in the vineyard of the wicked. | 6They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. |
7They spend the night naked because they lack clothing; they have no covering against the cold. | 7Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. |
8They are soaked by mountain rains and huddle in the rocks because they lack shelter. | 8Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. |
9The fatherless child is snatched from the breast, the infant of the poor is taken as a pledge. | 9The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. |
10They go about naked, without clothing, and go hungry while they carry the sheaves. | 10Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry. |
11They press out the olive oil between the rows of olive trees; they tread the winepresses while they are thirsty. | 11They crush olives in their presses; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty. |
12From the city the dying groan, and the wounded cry out for help, but God charges no one with wrongdoing. | 12From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime. |
13There are those who rebel against the light; they do not know its ways and they do not stay on its paths. | 13The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths. |
14Before daybreak the murderer rises up; he kills the poor and the needy; in the night he is like a thief. | 14The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy, and by night he becomes a thief. |
15And the eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight, thinking, 'No eye can see me,' and covers his face with a mask. | 15The adulterer's eye watches for twilight, thinking: No eye will see me; he covers his face. |
16In the dark the robber breaks into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they do not know the light. | 16In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light. |
17For all of them, the morning is to them like deep darkness; they are friends with the terrors of darkness. | 17For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness! |
18"You say, 'He is foam on the face of the waters; their portion of the land is cursed so that no one goes to their vineyard. | 18They float on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards. |
19The drought as well as the heat carry away the melted snow; so the grave takes away those who have sinned. | 19As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. |
20The womb forgets him, the worm feasts on him, no longer will he be remembered. Like a tree, wickedness will be broken down. | 20The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree. |
21He preys on the barren and childless woman, and does not treat the widow well. | 21They prey on the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow. |
22But God drags off the mighty by his power; when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his life. | 22Yet God drags away the mighty by His power; when He rises up, they have no assurance of life. |
23God may let them rest in a feeling of security, but he is constantly watching all their ways. | 23He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it, but His eyes watch over their ways. |
24They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone, they are brought low like all others, and gathered in, and like a head of grain they are cut off.' | 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. |
25"If this is not so, who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?" | 25If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar and show that my speech is worthless? |
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