1 Who Can Prove Me a Liar? “Why are 24:1Times of judgment times not stored up by the Almighty,And why do those who know Him not behold His days?
2 “ 24:2Lit They Some move the boundaries;They seize and 24:2Or pasture devour flocks.
3 “They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 “They push the needy aside from the road;The afflicted of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
5 “Behold, as wild donkeys in the wildernessThey go forth seeking food earnestly in their work,The desert becomes 24:5Lit his bread for him aplace ofbread forhisyoung ones.
6 “They harvest their fodder in the fieldAnd glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 “They spend the night naked, without clothing,And have no covering against the cold.
8 “They are wet with the mountain rainsAnd hug the rock for want of a shelter.
9 “ 24:9Lit They Others snatch the orphan from the breast,And against the afflicted they take a pledge.
10 “Thosepoorones walk about naked without clothing,And hungry ones carry the sheaves.
11 “Within the walls they produce oil;They tread wine presses but thirst.
12 “From the city men groan,And the souls of the wounded cry out;Yet God does not pay attention tosuchoffense.
13 ¶“ 24:13Lit They Others have been with those who rebel against the light;They do not want to recognize its waysNor abide in its paths.
14 “The murderer arises at dawn;He kills the afflicted and the needy,And at night he is as a thief.
15 “The eye of the adulterer keeps watch for the twilight,Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’And he 24:15Lit sets keeps his face hidden.
16 “In the dark they dig into houses;They shut themselves up by day;They do not know the light.
17 “For the morning is the same to him as the shadow of death,For he recognizes the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 ¶“ 24:18Implied, they (Job’s friends) say; Job 24:18-21 They are 24:18Or light, swift insignificant on the surface of the water;Their portion is cursed on the earth.They do not turn 24:18Lit to the path of toward the vineyards.
19 “Drought and heat seize the snow waters,So doesSheolthose whohave sinned.
20 “A 24:20Lit womb mother will forget him;The worm feasts sweetly till he is no longer remembered.And unrighteousness will be broken like a tree.
21 “He feeds on the barren woman who does not give birthAnd does no good for the widow.
22 ¶“But He drags off the mighty by His power;He rises, but no one believes in his life.
23 “He provides them with security, and they are supported;And His eyes are on their ways.
24 “They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up;Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
25 “Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,And make my speech worthless?”