1 WHY, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?
2 Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.
3 They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
5 Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.
6 They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.
7 They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.
9 They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.
10 They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;
11 Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.
12 Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.
13 They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
14 The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.
17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.
19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.
20 The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
21 He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.
22 He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.
23 Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
25 And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

1Why, seeing Times are not hidden from the Almightie, doe they, that know him not, see his dayes?

2Some remooue the land-markes; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.

3They driue away the asse of the fatherlesse, they take the widowes oxe for a pledge.

4They turne the needy out of the way: the poore of the earth hide themselues together.

5Behold, as wilde asses in the desart, goe they foorth to their worke, rising betimes for a pray: the wildernes yeeldeth food for them, and for their children.

6They reape euery one his corne in the fielde: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.

7They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they haue no couering in the cold.

8They are wet with the showres of the mountaines, and imbrace the rocke for want of a shelter.

9They plucke the fatherlesse from the brest, and take a pledge of the poore.

10They cause him to go naked without clothing: and they take away the sheafe from the hungry,

11Which make oyle within their walles, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.

12Men groane from out of the city, and the soule of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.

13They are of those that rebell against the light, they know not the wayes thereof, nor abide in the pathes thereof.

14The murderer rising with the light, killeth the poore and needy, and in the night is as a thiefe.

15The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.

16In the darke they digge through houses which they had marked for themselues in the day time: they know not the light.

17For the morning is to them euen as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrours of the shadow of death.

18Hee is swift as the waters, their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the Uineyards.

19Drought and heate consume the snow waters: so doeth the graue those which haue sinned.

20The wombe shall forget him, the worme shall feed sweetly on him, hee shall be no more remembred, and wickednes shalbe broken as a tree.

21He euill intreateth the barren, that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.

22He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth vp, and no man is sure of life.

23Though it be giuen him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are vpon their wayes.

24They are exalted for a litle while, but are gone and brought low, they are taken out of the way as al other, and cut off as the tops of the eares of corne.

25And if it be not so now, who will make mee a liar, and make my speach nothing worth?

I == Acts 1:7

 

II == Deut 19:14 ; 27:17 ; Prov 22:28 ; 23:10 ; Hos 5:10

III == Deut 24:6, 10 , 12 , 17 ; Job 22:6

IV == Prov 28:28

 

 

 

 

 

VII == Ex 22:26-27 ; Deut 24:12-13 ; Job 22:6

VIII == Lam 4:5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XIV == Ps 10:8

 

XV == Ps 10:11 ; Prov 7:9

 

 

XVI == John 3:20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XX == Prov 10:7

 

 

 

 

 

XXIII == Ps 11:4 ; Prov 15:3

1 Why are not times set by the Almighty, and why do his friends not see his days?

2 The wicked remove landmarks; they steal away herds and pasture them.

3 The asses of orphans they drive away; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.

4 They force the needy off the road; all the poor of the land are driven into hiding.

5 Like wild asses in the desert, these go forth to their task of seeking food; The steppe provides food for the young among them;

6 they harvest at night in the untilled land.

7 They pass the night naked, without clothing, for they have no covering against the cold;

8 They are drenched with the rain of the mountains, and for want of shelter they cling to the rock.

11 Between the rows they press out the oil; they glean in the the vineyard of the wicked. They tread the wine presses, yet suffer thirst,

10 and famished are those who carry the sheaves.

12 From the dust the dying groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out (yet God does not treat it as unseemly).

13 There are those who are rebels against the light; they know not its ways; they abide not in its paths.

14 When there is no light the murderer rises, to kill the poor and needy.

15 The eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight; he says, "No eye will see me." In the night the thief roams about, and he puts a mask over his face;

16 in the dark he breaks into houses. By day they shut themselves in; none of them know the light,

17 for daylight they regard as darkness.

18 Their portion in the land is accursed,

20 and wickedness is splintered like wood.

22 To him who rises without assurance of his life

23 he gives safety and support. He sustains the mighty by his strength, and his eyes are on their ways.

24 They are exalted for a while, and then they are gone; they are laid low and, like all others, are gathered up; like ears of grain they shrivel.

25 If this be not so, who will confute me, and reduce my argument to nought?

v 1-8. Job does not understand why God does not set times for judging the wicked. They are getting by with similar things of which Eliphaz charged him. They steal land and animals from orphans and widows by removing landmarks, drive poor off the road so they can’t even beg, forcing them to scrounge in the desert for food and spend the nights without appropriate clothing or shelter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 9-12. Wicked grab babies for debts, put the needy at hard labor without even reward that should be given to oxen working, Deut. 25:4; 1 Tim. 5:18. City people also call for help, but God seems to ignore them all.

 

v 13-17. Murderers, thieves, and adulterers operate under cover of darkness, the implication being that God appears to ignore them too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 18-25. After all Job has said to the three about the wicked going unpunished, he concedes that there will be eventual judgment upon them. God allows them to think they are getting by and are secure, but God knows their doings, so their supposed security is only temporary. He doesn’t understand why God chooses to deal with them in this way, but those are the facts, and if the three were honest, they could not deny it.