Job 24 — Legacy Standard Bible

Who Can Prove Me a Liar?

24“^aWhy are ¹times not stored up by the Almighty,And why do those who know Him not behold ^bHis days?²“¹Some ^amove the boundaries;They seize and ²devour flocks.³“They drive away the donkeys of the ^aorphans;They take the ^bwidow’s ox for a pledge.⁴“They push ^athe needy aside from the road;The ^bafflicted of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.⁵“Behold, as ^awild donkeys in the wildernessThey ^bgo forth seeking food earnestly in their work,The desert becomes ¹for him a place of bread for his young ones.⁶“They harvest their fodder in the fieldAnd glean the vineyard of the wicked.⁷“^aThey 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“¹Others snatch the ^aorphan from the breast,And against the afflicted they take a pledge.¹⁰“Those poor ones 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 ^adoes not pay attention to such offense.¹³“¹Others have been with those who rebel against the light;They do not want to recognize its waysNor abide in its paths.¹⁴“The murderer ^aarises at dawn;He ^bkills the afflicted and the needy,And at night he is as a thief.¹⁵“The eye of the ^aadulterer keeps watch for the twilight,Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’And he ¹keeps his face hidden.¹⁶“In the dark they ^adig into houses;They ^bshut 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 ^aterrors of the shadow of death.¹⁸“¹They are ²^,^ainsignificant on the surface of the water;Their portion is ^bcursed on the earth.They do not turn ³toward the ^cvineyards.¹⁹“Drought and heat ^aseize the snow waters,So does ^bSheol those who have sinned.²⁰“A ¹^,^amother will forget him;The ^bworm feasts sweetly till he is ^cno longer remembered.And unrighteousness will be broken ^dlike a tree.²¹“He feeds on the barren woman who does not give birthAnd does no good for ^athe widow.²²“But He drags off the mighty by ^aHis power;He rises, but ^bno one believes in his life.²³“He provides them ^awith security, and they are supported;And His ^beyes are on their ways.²⁴“They are exalted a ^alittle while, then they are gone;Moreover, they are ^bbrought low and like everything gathered up;Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.²⁵“Now if it is not so, ^awho can prove me a liar,And make my speech worthless?”