GOD'S WORD Translation GW
New King James Version NKJV
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]?
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"Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days?
2 "[People] move boundary markers. They steal flocks and tend them as shepherds.
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"Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them;
3 They drive away the orphan's donkey. They take the widow's ox as security for a loan.
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They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox as a pledge.
4 They force needy people off the road. All the poor people of the country go into hiding.
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They push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide.
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.
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Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children.
6 They harvest animal food in the field [to feed themselves]. They pick the leftover grapes in the wicked person's vineyard.
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They gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 All night they lie naked without a covering from the cold.
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They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering in the cold.
8 They are drenched by the rainstorms in the mountains. They hug the rocks because they can't find shelter.
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They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter.
9 "[People] snatch the [nursing] orphan from a breast and take a poor woman's baby as security for a loan.
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"Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor.
10 [That is why] the poor go around naked. They are hungry, yet they carry bundles of grain.
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They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 They press out olive oil between rows [of olive trees]. They stomp on grapes in wine vats, yet they are thirsty.
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They press out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
12 Those dying in the city groan. Wounded people cry for help, but God pays no attention to their prayers.
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The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong.
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.
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"There are those who rebel against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths.
14 At dawn murderers rise; they kill the poor and needy. At night they become thieves.
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The murderer rises with the light; He kills the poor and needy; And in the night he is like a thief.
15 Adulterers watch for twilight. They say, 'No one is watching us,' as they cover their faces.
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The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye will see me'; And he disguises his face.
16 In the dark, they break into houses, [but] by day they lock themselves in. They do not [even] know the light,
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In the dark they break into houses Which they marked for themselves in the daytime; They do not know the light.
17 because morning and deep darkness are the same to them, because they are familiar with the terrors of deep darkness.
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For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them, They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
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.
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"They should be swift on the face of the waters, Their portion should be cursed in the earth, So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards.
19 [Just as] drought and heat steal water from snow, so the grave steals people who sin.
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As drought and heat consume the snow waters, So the grave consumes those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them. Worms feast on them. No one remembers them anymore, and wickedness is snapped like a twig.
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The womb should forget him, The worm should feed sweetly on him; He should be remembered no more, And wickedness should be broken like a tree.
21 These men take advantage of childless women. These men show no kindness to widows.
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For he preys on the barren who do not bear, And does no good for the widow.
22 [God] will drag away [these] mighty men by his power. These people may prosper, but they will never feel secure about life.
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"But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life.
23 [God] may let them feel confident and self-reliant, but his eyes are on their ways.
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He gives them security, and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on their ways.
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.
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They are exalted for a little while, Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain.
25 "If it isn't so, who can prove I'm a liar and show that my words are worthless?"
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"Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech worth nothing?"