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?
1 διὰ τί δὲ κύριον ἔλαθον ὧραι,
2 ἀσεβεῖς δὲ ὅριον ὑπερέβησαν ποίμνιον σὺν ποιμένι ἁρπάσαντες;
3 ὑποζύγιον ὀρφανῶν ἀπήγαγον καὶ βοῦν χήρας ἠνεχύρασαν.
4 ἐξέκλιναν ἀδυνάτους ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαίας,* ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐκρύβησαν πραεῖς γῆς.‡
5 ἀπέβησαν δὲ ὥσπερ ὄνοι ἐν ἀγρῷ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ ἐξελθόντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν πρᾶξιν·* ἡδύνθη αὐτῷ ἄρτος εἰς νεωτέρους.‡
6 ἀγρὸν πρὸ ὥρας οὐκ αὐτῶν ὄντα ἐθέρισαν· ἀδύνατοι δὲ ἀμπελῶνας ἀσεβῶν ἀμισθὶ καὶ ἀσιτὶ ἠργάσαντο.
7 γυμνοὺς πολλοὺς ἐκοίμισαν ἄνευ ἱματίων, ἀμφίασιν δὲ ψυχῆς αὐτῶν ἀφείλαντο.
8 ἀπὸ ψεκάδων ὀρέων ὑγραίνονται,‡ παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς σκέπην πέτραν περιεβάλοντο.
9 ἥρπασαν ὀρφανὸν ἀπὸ μαστοῦ, ἐκπεπτωκότα δὲ ἐταπείνωσαν.
10 γυμνοὺς δὲ ἐκοίμισαν ἀδίκως, πεινώντων δὲ τὸν ψωμὸν ἀφείλαντο.
11 ἐν στενοῖς ἀδίκως ἐνήδρευσαν, ὁδὸν δὲ δικαίαν οὐκ ᾔδεισαν.
12 οἳ ἐκ πόλεως καὶ οἴκων ἰδίων ἐξεβάλλοντο, ψυχὴ δὲ νηπίων ἐστέναξεν μέγα, αὐτὸς δὲ διὰ τί τούτων ἐπισκοπὴν οὐ πεποίηται;
13 ἐπὶ γῆς ὄντων αὐτῶν καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν, ὁδὸν δὲ δικαιοσύνης οὐκ ᾔδεισαν οὐδὲ ἀτραποὺς αὐτῆς ἐπορεύθησαν.
14 γνοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς σκότος,* καὶ νυκτὸς ἔσται ὡς κλέπτης.
15 καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς μοιχοῦ ἐφύλαξεν σκότος* λέγων Οὐ προσνοήσει με ὀφθαλμός,* καὶ ἀποκρυβὴν προσώπου ἔθετο.
16 διώρυξεν ἐν σκότει οἰκίας·* ἡμέρας ἐσφράγισαν ἑαυτούς,* οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν φῶς·
17 ὅτι ὁμοθυμαδὸν τὸ πρωὶ αὐτοῖς σκιὰ θανάτου,* ὅτι ἐπιγνώσεται ταραχὰς σκιᾶς θανάτου.
18 ἐλαφρός ἐστιν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ὕδατος·‡ καταραθείη ἡ μερὶς αὐτῶν ἐπὶ γῆς.
19 ἀναφανείη δὲ τὰ φυτὰ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ξηρά· ἀγκαλίδα γὰρ ὀρφανῶν ἥρπασαν.
20 εἶτ᾽ ἀνεμνήσθη αὐτοῦ ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὥσπερ δὲ ὁμίχλη δρόσου ἀφανὴς ἐγένετο· ἀποδοθείη δὲ αὐτῷ ἃ ἔπραξεν, συντριβείη δὲ πᾶς ἄδικος ἴσα ξύλῳ ἀνιάτῳ.
21 στεῖραν γὰρ οὐκ εὖ ἐποίησεν καὶ γύναιον οὐκ ἠλέησεν,
22 θυμῷ δὲ κατέστρεψεν ἀδυνάτους. ἀναστὰς τοιγαροῦν οὐ μὴ πιστεύσῃ κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς·
23 μαλακισθεὶς μὴ ἐλπιζέτω ὑγιασθῆναι, ἀλλὰ πεσεῖται νόσῳ.
24 πολλοὺς γὰρ ἐκάκωσεν τὸ ὕψωμα αὐτοῦ· ἐμαράνθη δὲ ὥσπερ μολόχη ἐν καύματι ἢ ὥσπερ στάχυς ἀπὸ καλάμης αὐτόματος ἀποπεσών.
25 εἰ δὲ μή, τίς ἐστιν ὁ φάμενος ψευδῆ με λέγειν* καὶ θήσει εἰς οὐδὲν τὰ ῥήματά μου;‡