Job 24:1-12

Other Translations of Job 24:1-12

New International Version

Job Complains of God's Indifference to Wickedness

24¹ "Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days? ² There are those who move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen. ³ They drive away the orphan's donkey and take the widow's ox in pledge. ⁴ They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding. ⁵ Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children. ⁶ They gather fodder in the fields and glean in the vineyards of the wicked. ⁷ Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked; they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold. ⁸ They are drenched by mountain rains and hug the rocks for lack of shelter. ⁹ The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt. ¹⁰ Lacking clothes, they go about naked; they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry. ¹¹ They crush olives among the terracesThe meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. ; they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst. ¹² The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the souls of the wounded cry out for help. But God charges no one with wrongdoing.

English Standard Version

Job Complains of God's Indifference to Wickedness

24¹ "Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? ² Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. ³ They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge. ⁴ They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves. ⁵ Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poorHebrew they go out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children. ⁶ They gather theirHebrew his fodder in the field, and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man. ⁷ They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. ⁸ They are wet with the rain of the mountains and cling to the rock for lack of shelter. ⁹ (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.) ¹⁰ They go about naked, without clothing; hungry, they carry the sheaves; ¹¹ among the olive rows of the wickedHebrew their olive rows they make oil; they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst. ¹² From out of the city the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help; yet God charges no one with wrong.

The Message

Job Complains of God's Indifference to Wickedness

24¹ "But if Judgment Day isn't hidden from the Almighty, why are we kept in the dark? ² There are people out there getting by with murder - stealing and lying and cheating. ³ They rip off the poor and exploit the unfortunate, ⁴ Push the helpless into the ditch, bully the weak so that they fear for their lives. ⁵ The poor, like stray dogs and cats, scavenge for food in back alleys. ⁶ They sort through the garbage of the rich, eke out survival on handouts. ⁷ Homeless, they shiver through cold nights on the street; they've no place to lay their heads. ⁸ Exposed to the weather, wet and frozen, they huddle in makeshift shelters. ⁹ Nursing mothers have their babies snatched from them; the infants of the poor are kidnapped and sold. ¹⁰ They go about patched and threadbare; even the hard workers go hungry. ¹¹ No matter how back-breaking their labor, they can never make ends meet. ¹² People are dying right and left, groaning in torment. The wretched cry out for help and God does nothing, acts like nothing's wrong!

New King James Version

Job Complains of God's Indifference to Wickedness

24¹ "Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days? ² "Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them; ³ They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox as a pledge. ⁴ They push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide. ⁵ Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children. ⁶ They gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked. ⁷ They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. ⁸ They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter. ⁹ "Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor. ¹⁰ They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. ¹¹ They press out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst. ¹² The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong.

New Living Translation

Job Complains of God's Indifference to Wickedness

24¹ "Why doesn't the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Why must the godly wait for him in vain? ² Evil people steal land by moving the boundary markers. They steal livestock and put them in their own pastures. ³ They take the orphan's donkey and demand the widow's ox as security for a loan. ⁴ The poor are pushed off the path; the needy must hide together for safety. ⁵ Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor must spend all their time looking for food, searching even in the desert for food for their children. ⁶ They harvest a field they do not own, and they glean in the vineyards of the wicked. ⁷ All night they lie naked in the cold, without clothing or covering. ⁸ They are soaked by mountain showers, and they huddle against the rocks for want of a home. ⁹ "The wicked snatch a widow's child from her breast, taking the baby as security for a loan. ¹⁰ The poor must go about naked, without any clothing. They harvest food for others while they themselves are starving. ¹¹ They press out olive oil without being allowed to taste it, and they tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst. ¹² The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the wounded cry for help, yet God ignores their moaning.