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

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

2 T he borders they reach, A drove they have taken violently away, Yea, they do evil.

Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks and feed thereof.

3 T he ass of the fatherless they lead away, They take in pledge the ox of the widow,

They drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

4 T hey turn aside the needy from the way, Together have hid the poor of the earth.

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

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

Behold, 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.

6 I n a field his provender they reap, And the vineyard of the wicked they glean.

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

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

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

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

They are wet with the floods of the mountains and embrace the rock for want of a covering.

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

They pluck the fatherless from the breast and take a pledge of the poor.

10 N aked, they have gone without clothing, And hungry -- have taken away a sheaf.

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

11 B etween their walls they make oil, Wine-presses they have trodden, and thirst.

They press oil within their walls and tread their winepresses and suffer thirst.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For 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.

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

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

19 D rought -- also heat -- consume snow-waters, Sheol have sinned.

Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so does Sheol consume those who have sinned.

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

The 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.

21 T reating evil the barren beareth not, And the widow he doth no good,

He afflicted the barren woman that did not conceive and never did good unto the widow.

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

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

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

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

24 H igh 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.

They 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.

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

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