CHAPTER 24
1 Times be not hid from Almighty God; soothly they that know him, know not his days, (or but even they who know him, do not know when the day of reckoning is).
2 Other men have turned over the terms, (or the boundary stones), of (their) neighbours, they have taken away their flocks, and fed themselves.
3 They have driven away the ass of fatherless children, and they took away the cow of a widow for a wed. (They have driven away the donkey of some fatherless children, and they took away the cow of a widow for a pledge.)
4 They destroyed the way of poor men, and they oppressed together the mild men of [the] earth. (They pushed the poor out of their way, and they oppressed the needy of the earth, who huddle together.)
5 Other men as wild asses in desert go out to their work; and they wake to (take) prey, and before make ready bread to their children. (Other men, like wild donkeys, go out to the wilderness; and they seek prey, to find food for their children.)
6 They cut down a field not theirs, and they gather [the] grapes of his vinery, whom they have oppressed by violence. (They cut down a field not their own, and they gather grapes from the vineyard of the wicked.)
7 They leave men naked, and take away their clothes, to the which men there is no covering in cold; (They leave people naked, having taken away their clothes, for whom then there is no more cover from the cold;)
8 which men the rains of mountains wet, and they have no covering, and they embrace stones. (they be drenched by rains from the mountains, and have nothing to cover themselves with, and so all they can do is hold onto stones.)
9 They did violence, and robbed fatherless and motherless children; and they spoiled, either robbed, the community of poor men (or and they stole from, or plundered, the poor).
10 They took away ears of corn from naked men, and (those) going without cloak, and from hungry men. (They took away clothes from those who now must go naked, and ears of corn from the hungry.)
11 They were hid in midday among the heaps of those men, that thirst, when the presses of grapes be trodden. (They make oil in shady places, and tread the winepresses, but they themselves suffer thirst.)
12 They made men of (the) cities to wail, and the souls of wounded men shall cry; and God suffereth it not to go away unpunished. (In the cities men wail, and the souls of the wounded cry out; but God alloweth them not to go away unpunished.)
13 They were rebel to (the) light; they knew not the ways thereof, neither they turned again by the paths thereof. (They rebelled against the light; they knew not its ways, nor they walked by its paths.)
14 A manslayer riseth full early, and slayeth a needy man, and a poor man; and by night he shall be as a night thief. (The murderer riseth very early, and killeth the needy and the poor; and in the night he shall be a thief.)
15 The eye of [the] adulterer keepeth darkness, and saith, An eye shall not see me; and he shall cover his face. (The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the darkness, and saith, No eye shall see me; but he shall still cover his face.)
16 They (under)mine houses in darknesses, as they said together to themselves in the day; and they knew not light. (They break into houses in the night, like they said that they would during the day; and they know not, or avoid, the light.)
17 If the morrowtide appeareth suddenly, they deem it the shadow of death; and so they go in (the) darknesses, as in (the) light.
18 He is unstabler than the face of the water; his part in [the] earth be cursed, and go he not by the way of vineries. (He is more unstable than the face, or the surface, of the water; let his portion be cursed in the land, and go he not by the way of the vineyards.)
19 Pass he to a full great heat from the waters of snows, and the sin of him till to hells. (Like a great heat taketh away the waters of the snow, so let Sheol, or the grave, take him away.)
20 Mercy forget him; his sweetness be (for) a worm; be he not in mind, but be he all-broken as an unfruitful tree. (The womb shall forget him; let his sweetness be for a worm; let him be forgotten, and all-broken, like an unfruitful tree.)
21 For he fed (on) the barren, and her that childeth not, and he did not well to the widow.
22 He drew down strong men in his strength; and when he standeth in great state /in prosperity, he shall not believe to his life. (He drew down the strong with his strength; and yet, though he standeth in great state or in prosperity, he shall not have any hope for his life.)
23 God gave to him a place of penance, and he misuseth that into pride; soothly the eyes of God be beholding in the ways of that man (or truly God’s eyes behold the ways of such people).
24 They be raised up at a little while, and they shall not stand; and they shall be made low as all vile things, and they shall be taken away; and as the highnesses of ears of corn they shall be all-broken. (They shall be raised up for a little while, but they shall not stand; then they shall be made low like all vile things, and they shall be taken away; and they shall be all-broken like the tops of the ears of corn.)
25 That if it is not so, who may reprove me, that I lied, and have put forth follily my words before God? (And if this is not so, then who shall rebuke me, and say that I have lied, and have foolishly put forth my words before God?)