| 1 Si el Todopoderoso dispone de tiempos de juicio, | ¿por qué sus amigos no pueden preverlos? | 1 The times are not hidden from the Almighty; even those who know him, do not know his days. |
| 2 Hay gente que remueve linderos, | roban rebaños y los apacientan; | 2 Some have crossed the boundaries, plundered the flocks, and given them pasture. |
| 3 se llevan el burro del huérfano, | y en prenda el buey de la viuda; | 3 They have driven away the donkey of orphans, and have taken the cow from the widow as collateral. |
| 4 echan del camino a los necesitados, | los pobres del país se esconden. | 4 They have undermined the way of the poor, and have pressed together the meek of the earth. |
| 5 Hay otros que, igual que los onagros, | viajeros de la estepa, | madrugan e inician su tarea, | en busca de la presa: | la estepa alimenta a sus crías. | 5 Others, like wild asses in the desert, go forth to their work; by watching for prey, they obtain bread for their children. |
| 6 Recogen forraje en el campo, | rebuscan en la viña del malvado; | 6 They reap a field that is not their own, and they harvest a vineyard that they have taken by force. |
| 7 pasan la noche desnudos, | sin nada de ropa que ponerse, | sin cobertor, a merced del frío. | 7 They send men away naked, having taken the clothing of those who have no covering in the cold; |
| 8 La lluvia del monte los empapa; | sin refugio, se agarran a las rocas. | 8 these are wet with the mountain rain, and, having no covering, they embrace the rocks. |
| 9 Hay quien arranca al huérfano del pecho de su madre | y toma en prenda al hijo del pobre. | 9 They have used violence to deprive orphans, and they have robbed the poor common people. |
| 10 Andan desnudos, sin ropa; | hambrientos, acarrean gavillas. | 10 From the naked and those who do not have enough clothing, and from the hungry, they have taken away sheaves of grain. |
| 11 Prensan aceite en el molino; | sedientos, pisan en el lagar. | 11 They take their midday rest among the stockpiles of those who, though they have trodden the winepresses, suffer thirst. |
| 12 Moribundos gimen en la ciudad, | ¡gritos de socorro de los heridos! | Pero Dios nada malo ve en ello. | 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 Otros son rebeldes a la luz: | desconocen sus caminos, | no frecuentan sus senderos. | 13 They have been rebellious against the light; they have not known his ways, nor have they returned by his paths. |
| 14 El asesino se levanta con el alba | para matar a pobres e indigentes; | por la noche se dedica a robar. | 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 El adúltero acecha entre dos luces, | y piensa: “No hay ojo que me vea”, | pues lleva embozado su rostro. | 15 The eye of the adulterer waits for darkness, saying, “No eye will see me,” and he covers his face. |
| 16 De noche irrumpen en casas, | de día se cierran en ellas; | no saben lo que es la luz. | 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 Para ellos la mañana es tiniebla, | habituados al terror de la noche. | 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 Son broza arrastrada por el agua, | su heredad es maldita en la tierra, | nadie toma el sendero de su viña. | 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 Sequía y calor derriten la nieve, | y el Abismo se lleva a los pecadores. | 19 May he cross from the snowy waters to excessive heat, and his sin, all the way to hell. |
| 20 El seno materno los olvida, | los gusanos los encuentran sabrosos; | nunca serán recordados. | ¡Y se tala como un árbol la injusticia! | 20 Let mercy forget him. His charm is worms. Let him not be remembered, but instead be broken like an unfruitful tree. |
| 21 Viven de la estéril que no concebía | y privan de bienes a la viuda. | 21 For he has fed on the barren, who does not bear fruit, and he has not done good to the widow. |
| 22 Aunque siga el poderoso en el poder, | aunque medre, su vida es inestable; | 22 He has pulled down the strong by his strength, and, when he stands up, he will not have trust in his life. |
| 23 Dios puede hacer que se sienta seguro, | pero vigila todos sus pasos. | 23 God has given him a place for repentance, and he abuses it with arrogance, but his eyes are upon his ways. |
| 24 Se encumbra un momento y ya no existe; | se doblega como flor que se marchita, | se agosta lo mismo que una espiga. | 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 Esto es así, ¿quién me desmentirá, | quitando valor a mis argumentos?». | 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? |
