Job 24

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Why are not times set by the Almighty, and why do his friends not see his days?	1 The times are not hidden from the Almighty; even those who know him, do not know his days.
2 The wicked remove landmarks; they steal away herds and pasture them.	2 Some have crossed the boundaries, plundered the flocks, and given them pasture.
3 The asses of orphans they drive away; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.	3 They have driven away the donkey of orphans, and have taken the cow from the widow as collateral.
4 They force the needy off the road; all the poor of the land are driven into hiding.	4 They have undermined the way of the poor, and have pressed together the meek of the earth.
5 Like wild asses in the desert, these go forth to their task of seeking food; The steppe provides food for the young among them;	5 Others, like wild asses in the desert, go forth to their work; by watching for prey, they obtain bread for their children.
6 they harvest at night in the untilled land.	6 They reap a field that is not their own, and they harvest a vineyard that they have taken by force.
7 They pass the night naked, without clothing, for they have no covering against the cold;	7 They send men away naked, having taken the clothing of those who have no covering in the cold;
8 They are drenched with the rain of the mountains, and for want of shelter they cling to the rock.	8 these are wet with the mountain rain, and, having no covering, they embrace the rocks.
	9 They have used violence to deprive orphans, and they have robbed the poor common people.
10 and famished are those who carry the sheaves.	10 From the naked and those who do not have enough clothing, and from the hungry, they have taken away sheaves of grain.
11 Between the rows they press out the oil; they glean in the the vineyard of the wicked. They tread the wine presses, yet suffer thirst,	11 They take their midday rest among the stockpiles of those who, though they have trodden the winepresses, suffer thirst.
12 From the dust the dying groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out (yet God does not treat it as unseemly).	12 In the cities, they caused the men to groan and the spirit of the wounded to cry out, and so God does not allow this to go unpunished.
13 There are those who are rebels against the light; they know not its ways; they abide not in its paths.	13 They have been rebellious against the light; they have not known his ways, nor have they returned by his paths.
14 When there is no light the murderer rises, to kill the poor and needy.	14 The killer of men rises at first light; he executes the destitute and the poor, but, in truth, he is like a thief in the night.
15 The eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight; he says, "No eye will see me." In the night the thief roams about, and he puts a mask over his face;	15 The eye of the adulterer waits for darkness, saying, “No eye will see me,” and he covers his face.
16 in the dark he breaks into houses. By day they shut themselves in; none of them know the light,	16 He passes through houses in the nighttime, just as they had agreed among themselves in the daytime; and they are ignorant of the light.
17 for daylight they regard as darkness.	17 If sunrise should suddenly appear, it is treated by them like the shadow of death; and they walk in darkness, as if in light.
18 Their portion in the land is accursed,	18 He is nimble on the surface of water. His place on land is to be accursed. May he not walk by way of the vineyards.
	19 May he cross from the snowy waters to excessive heat, and his sin, all the way to hell.
20 and wickedness is splintered like wood.	20 Let mercy forget him. His charm is worms. Let him not be remembered, but instead be broken like an unfruitful tree.
	21 For he has fed on the barren, who does not bear fruit, and he has not done good to the widow.
22 To him who rises without assurance of his life	22 He has pulled down the strong by his strength, and, when he stands up, he will not have trust in his life.
23 he gives safety and support. He sustains the mighty by his strength, and his eyes are on their ways.	23 God has given him a place for repentance, and he abuses it with arrogance, but his eyes are upon his ways.
24 They are exalted for a while, and then they are gone; they are laid low and, like all others, are gathered up; like ears of grain they shrivel.	24 They are lifted up for a little while, but they will not continue, and they will be brought low, just like all things, and they will be taken away, and, like the tops of the ears of grain, they will be crushed.
25 If this be not so, who will confute me, and reduce my argument to nought?	25 But, if this is not so, who is able to prove to me that I have lied and to place my words before God?