Job 24

maddua mishadday lo-nitspenu ittim veyode'av lo-khazu yamayw

Why are times for judgment not reserved by Shaddai? Even those held close cannot foresee God’s actions.

gevulot yassigu eder gazelu vayyiru

People remove boundary-stones; They carry off flocks and pasture them;

khamor yetomim yinhagu yakhbelu shor almanah

They lead away the donkeys of the fatherless, And seize the widow’s bull as a pledge;

yattu evyonim middarekh yakhad khubbe'u aniyye-arets

They chase the needy off the roads; All the poor of the land are forced into hiding.

hen pera'im bammidbar yatse'u befo'olam meshakhare lattaref aravah lo lekhem lanne'arim

Like the wild asses of the wilderness, They go about their tasks, seeking food; The wilderness provides each with food for their young;

bassadeh belilo (yqtsyrv) [yiqtsoru] vekherem rasha yelaqqeshu

They harvest fodder in the field, And glean the late grapes in the vineyards of the wicked.

arom yalinu mibbeli levush ve'en kesut baqqarah

They pass the night naked for lack of clothing, They have no covering against the cold;

mizzerem harim yirtavu umibbeli makhseh khibbequ-tsur

They are drenched by the mountain rains, And huddle against the rock for lack of shelter.

yigzelu mishod yatom ve'al-ani yakhbolu

They snatch the fatherless infant from the breast, And seize the child of the poor as a pledge.

arom hillekhu beli levush ure'evim nase'u omer

They go about naked for lack of clothing, And, hungry, carry sheaves;

ben-shurotam yatshiru yeqavim darekhu vayyitsma'u

Between rows [of olive trees] they make oil, And, thirsty, they tread the winepresses.

me'ir metim yinaqu venefesh-khalalim teshavvea ve'eloah lo-yasim tiflah

Mortals groan in the city; The souls of the dying cry out; Yet God does not regard it as a reproach.

hemmah hayu bemorede-or lo-hikkiru derakhayw velo yashevu bintivotayw

They are rebels against the light; They are strangers to its ways, And do not stay in its path.

la'or yaqum rotseakh yiqtol-ani ve'evyon uvallaylah yehi khaggannav

The murderer arises in the evening To kill the poor and needy, And at night he acts the thief.

ve'en no'ef shamerah-neshef lemor lo-teshureni ayin veseter panim yasim

The eyes of the adulterer watch for twilight, Thinking, “No one will glimpse me then.” He masks his face.

khatar bakhoshekh battim yomam khittemu-lamo lo-yade'u or

In the dark they break into houses; By day they shut themselves in; They do not know the light.

ki yakhdav boqer lamo tsalmavet ki-yakkir balhot tsalmavet

For all of them morning is darkness; It is then that they discern the terror of darkness.

qal-hu al-pene-mayim tequllal khelqatam ba'arets lo-yifneh derekh keramim

May they be flotsam on the face of the water; May their portion in the land be cursed; May none turn aside by way of their vineyards.

tsiyyah gam-khom yigzelu meme-sheleg she'ol khata'u

May drought and heat snatch away their snow waters, And Sheol, those who have sinned.

yishkakhehu rekhem metaqo rimmah od lo-yizzakher vattishaver ka'ets avlah

May the womb forget him; May he be sweet to the worms; May he be no longer remembered; May wrongdoers be broken like a tree.

ro'eh aqarah lo teled ve'almanah lo yeyetiv

May he consort with an infertile woman who bears no child, Leave his widow deprived of good.

umashakh abbirim bekhokho yaqum velo-ya'amin bakhayyin

Though he has the strength to seize bulls, May he live with no assurance of survival.

yitten-lo lavetakh veyisha'en ve'enehu al-darkhehem

Yet [God] gives him the security on which he relies, And keeps watch over his affairs.

rommu me'at ve'enennu vehummekhu kakkol yiqqafetsun ukherosh shibbolet yimmalu

Exalted for a while, let them be gone; Be brought low, and shrivel like mallows, And wither like the heads of grain.

ve'im-lo efo mi yakhziveni veyasem le'al millati

Surely no one can confute me, Or prove that I am wrong.