Job 24:1-16 ▼

1 “Why are times not stored up by the Almighty, And why do those who know Him not behold His days?

2 Some move the boundaries; They seize and devour flocks.

3 They drive away the donkeys of the orphans; They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

4 They push the needy aside from the road; The afflicted of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.

5 Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness They go forth seeking food earnestly in their work, The desert becomes for him a place of bread for his young ones.

6 They harvest their fodder 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 with the mountain rains And hug the rock for want of a shelter.

9 Others snatch the orphan from the breast, And against the afflicted they take a pledge.

10 Those poor ones walk about naked without clothing, And hungry ones carry the sheaves.

11 Within the walls they produce oil; They tread wine presses but thirst.

12 From the city men groan, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not pay attention to such offense.

13 “Others have been with those who rebel against the light; They do not want to recognize its ways Nor abide in its paths.

14 The murderer arises at dawn; He kills the afflicted and the needy, And at night he is as a thief.

15 The eye of the adulterer keeps watch for the twilight, Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’ And he keeps his face hidden.

16 In the dark they dig into houses; They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light.