1 “ Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days?

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

2 “ Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them;

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

3 T hey drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow’s ox as a pledge.

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

4 T hey push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide.

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

5 I ndeed, 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.

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 T hey gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.

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

7 T hey spend the night naked, without clothing, And 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 showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter.

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

9 “ Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor.

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

10 T hey cause the poor to go naked, 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 out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst.

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

12 T he dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong.

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

13 “ There are those who rebel against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide 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; He kills the poor and needy; And in the night he is like 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 will see me’; And he 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 break into houses Which they 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 the same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them, They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

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

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.

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

19 A s drought and heat consume the snow waters, So the grave consumes those who have sinned.

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

20 T he 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.

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

21 F or he preys on the barren who do not bear, And does no good for the widow.

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

22 “ But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life.

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

23 H e gives them security, and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on their ways.

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

24 T hey 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.

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 “ Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech worth nothing?”

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