Common English Bible CEB
New Revised Standard NRS
1 Why doesn't the Almighty establish times for punishment? Why can't those who know him see his days?
1
"Why are times not kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days?
2 People move boundary stones, herd flocks they've stolen,
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The wicked remove landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them.
3 drive off an orphan's donkey, take a widow's ox as collateral,
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They drive away the donkey of the orphan; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4 thrust the poor out of the way, make the land's needy hide together.
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They thrust the needy off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves.
5 They are like the wild donkeys in the desert; they go forth at dawn searching for prey; the wasteland is food for their young.
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Like wild asses in the desert they go out to their toil, scavenging in the wasteland food for their young.
6 They gather their food in the field, glean in unproductive vineyards,
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They reap in a field not their own and they glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 spend the night naked, unclothed, in the cold without a cover,
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They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold.
8 wet from mountain rains, with no refuge, huddled against a rock.
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They are wet with the rain of the mountains, and cling to the rock for want of shelter.
9 The orphan is stolen from the breast; the infant of the poor is taken as collateral.
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"There are those who snatch the orphan child from the breast, and take as a pledge the infant of the poor.
10 The poor go around naked, without clothes, carry bundles of grain while hungry,
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They go about naked, without clothing; though hungry, they carry the sheaves;
11 crush olives between millstones, tread winepresses, but remain thirsty.
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between their terraces they press out oil; they tread the wine presses, but suffer thirst.
12 From the city, the dying cry out; the throat of the mortally wounded screams, but God assigns no blame.
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From the city the dying groan, and the throat of the wounded cries for help; yet God pays no attention to their prayer.
13 They rebel against light, don't acknowledge its direction, don't dwell in its paths.
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"There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises at twilight, kills the poor and needy; at night, they are like a thief.
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The murderer rises at dusk to kill the poor and needy, and in the night is like a thief.
15 The adulterer's eye watches for twilight, thinking, No eye can see me, and puts a mask over his face.
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The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, "No eye will see me'; and he disguises his face.
16 In the dark they break into houses; they shut themselves in by day; they don't know the light.
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In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light.
17 Deep darkness is morning to them because they recognize the horror of darkness.
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For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.
18 They are scum on the water's surface; their portion of the land is cursed; no one walks down a path in the vineyards.
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"Swift are they on the face of the waters; their portion in the land is cursed; no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat steal melted snow, just as the underworld steals sinners.
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Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them; the worm consumes them; they aren't remembered, and so wickedness is shattered like a tree.
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The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; they are no longer remembered; so wickedness is broken like a tree.
21 They prey on the barren, the childless, do nothing good for the widow.
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"They harm the childless woman, and do no good to the widow.
22 They drag away the strong by force; they may get up but without guarantee of survival.
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Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life.
23 They make themselves secure; they are at ease. His eyes are on their ways.
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He gives them security, and they are supported; his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted for a short time, but no longer. They are humbled then gathered in like everyone else; cut off like heads of grain.
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They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they wither and fade like the mallow; they are cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If this isn't so, who can prove me a liar and make my words disappear?
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If it is not so, who will prove me a liar, and show that there is nothing in what I say?"
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.