| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1"Why are times not appointed by the Almighty? Why do those who know him not see his days? | 1"Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days? |
| 2Men move boundary stones; they seize the flock and pasture them. | 2There are those who move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen. |
| 3They drive away the orphan's donkey; they take the widow's ox as a pledge. | 3They drive away the orphan's donkey and take the widow's ox in pledge. |
| 4They turn the needy from the pathway, and the poor of the land hide themselves together. | 4They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding. |
| 5Like wild donkeys in the desert they go out to their labor, seeking diligently for food; the wasteland provides food for them and for their children. | 5Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children. |
| 6They reap fodder in the field, and glean in the vineyard of the wicked. | 6They gather fodder in the fields and glean in the vineyards of the wicked. |
| 7They spend the night naked because they lack clothing; they have no covering against the cold. | 7Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked; they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold. |
| 8They are soaked by mountain rains and huddle in the rocks because they lack shelter. | 8They are drenched by mountain rains and hug the rocks for lack of shelter. |
| 9The fatherless child is snatched from the breast, the infant of the poor is taken as a pledge. | 9The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt. |
| 10They go about naked, without clothing, and go hungry while they carry the sheaves. | 10Lacking clothes, they go about naked; they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry. |
| 11They press out the olive oil between the rows of olive trees; they tread the winepresses while they are thirsty. | 11They crush olives among the terraces; they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst. |
| 12From the city the dying groan, and the wounded cry out for help, but God charges no one with wrongdoing. | 12The 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. |
| 13There are those who rebel against the light; they do not know its ways and they do not stay on its paths. | 13"There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths. |
| 14Before daybreak the murderer rises up; he kills the poor and the needy; in the night he is like a thief. | 14When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up, kills the poor and needy, and in the night steals forth like a thief. |
| 15And the eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight, thinking, 'No eye can see me,' and covers his face with a mask. | 15The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, 'No eye will see me,' and he keeps his face concealed. |
| 16In the dark the robber breaks into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they do not know the light. | 16In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light. |
| 17For all of them, the morning is to them like deep darkness; they are friends with the terrors of darkness. | 17For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness. |
| 18"You say, 'He is foam on the face of the waters; their portion of the land is cursed so that no one goes to their vineyard. | 18"Yet they are foam on the surface of the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one goes to the vineyards. |
| 19The drought as well as the heat carry away the melted snow; so the grave takes away those who have sinned. | 19As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow, so the grave snatches away those who have sinned. |
| 20The womb forgets him, the worm feasts on him, no longer will he be remembered. Like a tree, wickedness will be broken down. | 20The womb forgets them, the worm feasts on them; the wicked are no longer remembered but are broken like a tree. |
| 21He preys on the barren and childless woman, and does not treat the widow well. | 21They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow they show no kindness. |
| 22But God drags off the mighty by his power; when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his life. | 22But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. |
| 23God may let them rest in a feeling of security, but he is constantly watching all their ways. | 23He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. |
| 24They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone, they are brought low like all others, and gathered in, and like a head of grain they are cut off.' | 24For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain. |
| 25"If this is not so, who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?" | 25"If this is not so, who can prove me false and reduce my words to nothing?" |
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