욥기 24

1어찌하여 전능자가 시기를 정하지 아니하셨는고 어찌하여 그를 아는 자들이 그의 날을 보지 못하는고 2어떤 사람은 지계표를 옮기며 양떼를 빼앗아 기르며 3고아의 나귀를 몰아 가며 과부의 소를 볼모 잡으며 4빈궁한 자를 길에서 몰아 내나니 세상에 가난한 자가 다 스스로 숨는구나 5그들은 거친 땅의 들나귀 같아서 나가서 일하며 먹을 것을 부지런히 구하니 광야가 그 자식을 위하여 그에게 식물을 내는구나 6밭에서 남의 곡식을 베며 악인의 남겨 둔 포도를 따며 7의복이 없어 벗은 몸으로 밤을 지내며 추위에 덮을 것이 없으며 8산 중 소나기에 젖으며 가리울 것이 없어 바위를 안고 있느니라 9어떤 사람은 고아를 어미 품에서 빼앗으며 가난한 자의 옷을 볼모 잡으므로 10그들이 옷이 없어 벌거벗고 다니며 주리면서 곡식 단을 메며 11그 사람의 담 안에서 기름을 짜며 목말라하면서 술 틀을 밟느니라 12인구 많은 성 중에서 사람들이 신음하며 상한 자가 부르짖으나 하나님이 그 불의를 보지 아니하시느니라 13또 광명을 배반하는 사람들은 이러하니 그들은 광명의 길을 알지 못하며 그 첩경에 머물지 아니하는 자라 14사람을 죽이는 자는 새벽에 일어나서 가난한 자나 빈궁한 자를 죽이고 밤에는 도적 같이 되며 15간음하는 자의 눈은 저물기를 바라며 아무 눈도 나를 보지 못하리라 하고 얼굴을 변장하며 16밤에 집을 뚫는 자는 낮에는 문을 닫고 있은즉 광명을 알지 못하나니 17그들은 다 아침을 흑암 같이 여기니 흑암의 두려움을 앎이니라 18그들은 물 위에 빨리 흘러가고 그 산업은 세상에서 저주를 받나니 그들이 다시는 포도원 길로 행치 못할 것이라 19가뭄과 더위가 눈 녹은 물을 곧 말리나니 음부가 범죄자에게도 그와 같은 것인즉 20태가 그를 잊어버리고 구더기가 그를 달게 먹을 것이라 그는 기억함을 다시 얻지 못하나니 불의가 나무처럼 꺾이리라 21그는 잉태치 못하므로 해산치 못한 여인을 학대하며 과부를 선대치 아니하는 자니라 22그러나 하나님이 그 권능으로 강한 자들을 보존시키시니 살기를 바라지 못할 자도 일어나는구나 23하나님이 그들을 호위하사 평안케 하시나 그 눈은 그들의 길에 있구나 24그들은 높아져도 잠시간에 없어지나니 낮아져서 범인처럼 제함을 당하고 곡식 이삭 같이 베임을 입느니라 25가령 그렇지 않을지라도 능히 내 말을 거짓되다 지적하거나 내 말이 헛되다 변박할 자 누구랴

1“Why aren’t times laid up by the Almighty? Why don’t those who know him see his days? 2There are people who remove the landmarks. They violently take away flocks, and feed them. 3They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, and they take the widow’s ox for a pledge. 4They turn the needy out of the way. The poor of the earth all hide themselves. 5Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert, they go out to their work, seeking diligently for food. The wilderness yields them bread for their children. 6They cut their provender in the field. They glean the vineyard of the wicked. 7They lie all night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. 8They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for lack of a shelter. 9There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor, 10So that they go around naked without clothing. Being hungry, they carry the sheaves. 11They make oil within the walls of these men. They tread wine presses, and suffer thirst. 12From out of the populous city, men groan. The soul of the wounded cries out, yet God doesn’t regard the folly. 13“These are of those who rebel against the light. They don’t know its ways, nor stay in its paths. 14The murderer rises with the light. He kills the poor and needy. In the night he is like a thief. 15The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye shall see me.’ He disguises his face. 16In the dark they dig through houses. They shut themselves up in the daytime. They don’t know the light. 17For the morning is to all of them like thick darkness, for they know the terrors of the thick darkness. 18“They are foam on the surface of the waters. Their portion is cursed in the earth. They don’t turn into the way of the vineyards. 19Drought and heat consume the snow waters, so does Sheol those who have sinned. 20The womb shall forget him. The worm shall feed sweetly on him. He shall be no more remembered. Unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree. 21He devours the barren who don’t bear. He shows no kindness to the widow. 22Yet God preserves the mighty by his power. He rises up who has no assurance of life. 23God gives them security, and they rest in it. His eyes are on their ways. 24They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone. Yes, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain. 25If it isn’t so now, who will prove me a liar, and make my speech worth nothing?”

1Waarom zouden van den Almachtige de tijden niet verborgen zijn, dewijl zij, die Hem kennen, Zijn dagen niet zien? 2Zij tasten de landpalen aan; de kudden roven zij, en weiden ze. 3Den ezel der wezen drijven zij weg; den os ener weduwe nemen zij te pand. 4Zij doen de nooddruftigen wijken van den weg; te zamen versteken zich de ellendigen des lands. 5Ziet, zij zijn woudezels in de woestijn; zij gaan uit tot hun werk, makende zich vroeg op ten roof; het vlakke veld is hem tot spijs, en den jongeren. 6Op het veld maaien zij zijn voeder, en den wijnberg des goddelozen lezen zij af. 7Den naakten laten zij vernachten zonder kleding, die geen deksel heeft tegen de koude. 8Van den stroom der bergen worden zij nat, en zonder toevlucht zijnde, omhelzen zij de steenrotsen. 9Zij rukken het weesje van de borst, en dat over den arme is, nemen zij te pand. 10Den naakte doen zij weggaan zonder kleed, en hongerig, die garven dragen. 11Tussen hun muren persen zij olie uit, treden de wijnpersen, en zijn dorstig. 12Uit de stad zuchten de lieden, en de ziel der verwonden schreeuwt uit; nochtans beschikt God niets ongerijmds. 13Zij zijn onder de wederstrevers des lichts; zij kennen Zijn wegen niet, en zij blijven niet op Zijn paden. 14Met het licht staat de moorder op, doodt den arme en den nooddruftige; en des nachts is hij als een dief. 15Ook neemt het oog des overspelers de schemering waar, zeggende: Geen oog zal mij zien; en hij legt een deksel op het aangezicht. 16In de duisternis doorgraaft hij de huizen, die zij zich des daags afgetekend hadden; zij kennen het licht niet. 17Want de morgenstond is hun te zamen de schaduw des doods; als men hen kent, zijn zij in de strikken van des doods schaduw. 18Hij is licht op het vlakke der wateren; vervloekt is hun deel op de aarde; hij wendt zich niet tot den weg der wijngaarden. 19De droogte mitsgaders de hitte nemen de sneeuwwateren weg; alzo het graf dergenen, die gezondigd hebben. 20De baarmoeder vergeet hem, het gewormte is hem zoet, zijns wordt niet meer gedacht; en het onrecht wordt gebroken als een hout. 21De onvruchtbare, die niet baart, teert hij af, en aan de weduwe doet hij niets goeds. 22Ook trekt hij de machtigen door zijn kracht; staat hij op, zo is men des levens niet zeker. 23Stelt hem God in gerustigheid, zo steunt hij daarop; nochtans zijn Zijn ogen op hun wegen. 24Zij zijn een weinig tijds verheven, daarna is er niemand van hen; zij worden nedergedrukt; gelijk alle anderen worden zij besloten; en gelijk de top ener aar worden zij afgesneden. 25Indien het nu zo niet is, wie zal mij leugenachtig maken, en mijn rede tot niet brengen?