| New International Version (NIV) |
New International Version (NIV) |
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1 "Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
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1 "Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
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2 Men move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen.
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2 Men move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen.
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3 They drive away the orphan's donkey and take the widow's ox in pledge.
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3 They drive away the orphan's donkey and take the widow's ox in pledge.
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4 They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
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4 They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
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5 Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children.
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5 Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children.
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6 They gather fodder in the fields and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
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6 They gather fodder in the fields and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
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7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked; they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
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7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked; they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
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8 They are drenched by mountain rains and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
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8 They are drenched by mountain rains and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
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9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
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9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
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10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked; they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
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10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked; they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
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11 They crush olives among the terraces; they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
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11 They crush olives among the terraces; they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
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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.
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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.
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13 "There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths.
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13 "There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths.
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14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief.
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14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief.
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15 The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, 'No eye will see me,' and he keeps his face concealed.
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15 The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, 'No eye will see me,' and he keeps his face concealed.
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16 In the dark, men break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light.
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16 In the dark, men break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light.
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17 For all of them, deep darkness is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.
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17 For all of them, deep darkness is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.
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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.
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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.
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19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow, so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
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19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow, so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
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20 The womb forgets them, the worm feasts on them; evil men are no longer remembered but are broken like a tree.
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20 The womb forgets them, the worm feasts on them; evil men are no longer remembered but are broken like a tree.
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21 They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow show no kindness.
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21 They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow show no kindness.
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22 But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
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22 But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
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23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways.
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23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways.
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24 For 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.
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24 For 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.
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25 "If this is not so, who can prove me false and reduce my words to nothing?"
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25 "If this is not so, who can prove me false and reduce my words to nothing?"
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| Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
