GodsWord - Job - 24

24:1  "Why doesn't the Almighty set aside times for punishment? Why don't those who are close to him see his days of judgment?

24:2  "People move boundary markers. They steal flocks and tend them as shepherds.

24:3  They drive away the orphan's donkey. They take the widow's ox as security for a loan.

24:4  They force needy people off the road. All the poor people of the country go into hiding.

24:5  Like wild donkeys in the desert, poor people go out to do their work, looking for food. The plains provide food for their children.

24:6  They harvest animal food in the field to feed themselves. They pick the leftover grapes in the wicked person's vineyard.

24:7  All night they lie naked without a covering from the cold.

24:8  They are drenched by the rainstorms in the mountains. They hug the rocks because they can't find shelter.

24:9  "People snatch the nursing orphan from a breast and take a poor woman's baby as security for a loan.

24:10  That is why the poor go around naked. They are hungry, yet they carry bundles of grain.

24:11  They press out olive oil between rows of olive trees. They stomp on grapes in wine vats, yet they are thirsty.

24:12  Those dying in the city groan. Wounded people cry for help, but God pays no attention to their prayers.

24:13  "Such people are among those who rebel against the light. They are not acquainted with its ways. They do not stay on its paths.

24:14  At dawn murderers rise; they kill the poor and needy. At night they become thieves.

24:15  Adulterers watch for twilight. They say, 'No one is watching us,' as they cover their faces.

24:16  In the dark, they break into houses, but by day they lock themselves in. They do not even know the light,

24:17  because morning and deep darkness are the same to them, because they are familiar with the terrors of deep darkness.

24:18  Such people are like scum on the surface of the water. Their property is cursed in the land. People do not travel the road that goes to their vineyards.

24:19  Just as drought and heat steal water from snow, so the grave steals people who sin.

24:20  The womb forgets them. Worms feast on them. No one remembers them anymore, and wickedness is snapped like a twig.

24:21  These men take advantage of childless women. These men show no kindness to widows.

24:22  God will drag away these mighty men by his power. These people may prosper, but they will never feel secure about life.

24:23  God may let them feel confident and self-reliant, but his eyes are on their ways.

24:24  Such people may be prosperous for a little while, but then they're gone. They are brought down low and disappear like everything else. They wither like heads of grain.

24:25  "If it isn't so, who can prove I'm a liar and show that my words are worthless?"