New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
1“Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days? | 1Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why do those who know him never see his days? |
2“Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them; | 2The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. |
3They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; 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 push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide. | 4They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. |
5Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children. | 5Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the desert provides nourishment for their children. |
6They gather their 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, without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. | 7Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. |
8They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter. | 8Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. |
9“Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor. | 9The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. |
10They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. | 10Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry. |
11They press out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst. | 11They crush olives in their presses; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty. |
12The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong. | 12From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime. |
13“There are those who rebel against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths. | 13The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths. |
14The murderer rises with the light; He kills the poor and needy; And 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. |
15The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, ‘No eye will see me’; And he disguises his face. | 15The adulterer's eye watches for twilight, thinking, "No eye will see me," and he covers his face. |
16In the dark they break into houses Which they marked for themselves in the daytime; They do not know the light. | 16In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light. |
17For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them, They are in the terrors of the shadow of death. | 17For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness! |
18“They should be swift on the face of the waters, Their portion should be cursed in the earth, So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards. | 18They float on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards. |
19As drought and heat consume the snow waters, So the grave consumes those who have sinned. | 19As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. |
20The womb should forget him, The worm should feed sweetly on him; He should be remembered no more, And wickedness should be broken like a tree. | 20The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree. |
21For he preys on the barren who do not bear, And does no good for the widow. | 21They prey on the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow. |
22“But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life. | 22Yet God drags away the mighty by his power; when he rises up, they have no assurance of life. |
23He gives them security, and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on 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, Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain. | 24They are exalted for a moment, then gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain. |
25“Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech worth nothing?” | 25If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar and show that my speech is worthless? |
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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