1 ¶ Why, seeing that times are not hidden from the Almighty, do those that know him not see his days?

Wherefore from the Mighty One Times have not been hidden, And those knowing Him have not seen His days.

2 S ome remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks and feed thereof.

The borders they reach, A drove they have taken violently away, Yea, they do evil.

3 T hey drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

The ass of the fatherless they lead away, They take in pledge the ox of the widow,

4 T hey turn the needy out of the way; and all the poor of the earth hide themselves from them.

They turn aside the needy from the way, Together have hid the poor of the earth.

5 B ehold, as wild asses in the desert, they go forth to their work, rising early for a prey; the wilderness yields food for them and for their children.

Lo, wild asses in a wilderness, They have gone out about their work, Seeking early for prey, A mixture for himself -- food for young ones.

6 I n the field they reap their fodder, and the wicked gather the vintage that is not theirs.

In a field his provender they reap, And the vineyard of the wicked they glean.

7 T hey cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.

The naked they cause to lodge Without clothing. And there is no covering in the cold.

8 T hey are wet with the floods of the mountains and embrace the rock for want of a covering.

From the inundation of hills they are wet, And without a refuge -- have embraced a rock.

9 T hey pluck the fatherless from the breast and take a pledge of the poor.

They take violently away From the breast the orphan, And on the poor they lay a pledge.

10 T hey cause the naked to go without clothing, and they take away the sheaves from the hungry.

Naked, they have gone without clothing, And hungry -- have taken away a sheaf.

11 T hey press oil within their walls and tread their winepresses and suffer thirst.

Between their walls they make oil, Wine-presses they have trodden, and thirst.

12 M en groan from out of the city, and the souls of the dead cry out; yet God did not hinder them.

Because of enmity men do groan, And the soul of pierced ones doth cry, And God doth not give praise.

13 ¶ They are among those that rebel against the light; they have never known its ways nor abided in its paths.

They have been among rebellious ones of light, They have not discerned His ways, Nor abode in His paths.

14 T he murderer rises with the light, kills the poor and the needy, and in the night is as a thief.

At the light doth the murderer rise, He doth slay the poor and needy, And in the night he is as a thief.

15 T he eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me; and disguises his face.

And the eye of an adulterer Hath observed the twilight, Saying, `No eye doth behold me.' And he putteth the face in secret.

16 I n the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime; they do not know the light.

He hath dug in the darkness -- houses; By day they shut themselves up, They have not known light.

17 F or the morning is to them even as the shadow of death; if they are known, the terrors of the shadow of death come over them.

When together, morning to them death shade, When he discerneth the terrors of death shade.

18 ¶ They are swift upon the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; they never come by the way of the vineyards.

Light he on the face of the waters, Vilified is their portion in the earth, He turneth not the way of vineyards.

19 D rought and heat consume the snow waters; so does Sheol consume those who have sinned.

Drought -- also heat -- consume snow-waters, Sheol have sinned.

20 T he Merciful One shall forget them; the worm shall feed sweetly on them; they shall never be remembered again; and iniquity shall be broken as a tree.

Forget him doth the womb, Sweeten him doth the worm, No more is he remembered, And broken as a tree is wickedness.

21 H e afflicted the barren woman that did not conceive and never did good unto the widow.

Treating evil the barren beareth not, And the widow he doth no good,

22 H e furthered the violent with his power; he did not lend to anyone in his life.

And hath drawn the mighty by his power, He riseth, and none believeth in life.

23 I f he gave credit to some to take them over, his eyes were upon their ways.

He giveth to him confidence, and he is supported, And his eyes on their ways.

24 T hey were exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others and cut off as the tops of the heads of grain.

High they were a little, and they are not, And they have been brought low. As all they are shut up, And as the head of an ear of corn cut off.

25 A nd if it is not so now, who will make me a liar or reduce my speech to nothing?

And if not now, who doth prove me a liar, And doth make of nothing my word?