| English Standard Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? | 1Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why do those who know him never see his days? |
| 2Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. | 2The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. |
| 3They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge. | 3They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless and take the widow's ox as collateral. |
| 4They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves. | 4They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. |
| 5Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poor go out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children. | 5Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the desert provides nourishment for their children. |
| 6They gather their fodder in the field, and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man. | 6They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. |
| 7They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. | 7Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. |
| 8They are wet with the rain of the mountains and cling to the rock for lack of shelter. | 8Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. |
| 9(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.) | 9The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. |
| 10They go about naked, without clothing; hungry, they carry the sheaves; | 10Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry. |
| 11among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil; they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst. | 11They crush olives in their presses; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty. |
| 12From out of the city the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help; yet God charges no one with wrong. | 12From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime. |
| 13“There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. | 13The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths. |
| 14The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. | 14The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy, and by night he becomes a thief. |
| 15The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me’; and he veils his face. | 15The adulterer's eye watches for twilight, thinking, "No eye will see me," and he covers his face. |
| 16In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. | 16In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light. |
| 17For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. | 17For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness! |
| 18“You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the land; no treader turns toward their vineyards. | 18They float on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards. |
| 19Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned. | 19As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. |
| 20The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; they are no longer remembered, so wickedness is broken like a tree.’ | 20The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree. |
| 21“They wrong the barren, childless woman, and do no good to the widow. | 21They prey on the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow. |
| 22Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life. | 22Yet God drags away the mighty by his power; when he rises up, they have no assurance of life. |
| 23He gives them security, and they are supported, and his eyes are upon their ways. | 23He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it, but his eyes watch over their ways. |
| 24They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like the heads of grain. | 24They are exalted for a moment, then gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain. |
| 25If it is not so, who will prove me a liar and show that there is nothing in what I say?” | 25If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar and show that my speech is worthless? |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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