Week 51, Day 5

"Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see His days?
"Some remove the landmarks;
They seize and devour flocks.
"They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;
They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
"They push the needy aside from the road;
The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
"Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness
They go forth seeking food in their activity,
As bread for their children in the desert.
"They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
"They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
"They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
"Others snatch the orphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
"They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
"Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
"From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not pay attention to folly.

"Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
"The murderer arises at dawn;
He kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is as a thief.
"The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he disguises his face.
"In the dark they dig into houses,
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
"For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

"They are insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is cursed on the earth.
They do not turn toward the vineyards.
"Drought and heat consume the snow waters,
So does Sheol those who have sinned.
"A mother will forget him;
The worm feeds sweetly till he is no longer remembered.
And wickedness will be broken like a tree.
"He wrongs the barren woman
And does no good for the widow.
"But He drags off the valiant by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.
"He provides them with security, and they are supported;
And His eyes are on their ways.
"They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
"Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?"

"Dominion and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in His heights.
"Is there any number to His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
"How then can a man be just with God?
Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?
"If even the moon has no brightness
And the stars are not pure in His sight,
How much less man, that maggot,
And the son of man, that worm!"

"What a help you are to the weak!
How you have saved the arm without strength!
"What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!
"To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit was expressed through you?

"The departed spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
"Naked is Sheol before Him,
And Abaddon has no covering.
"He stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
"He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
"He obscures the face of the full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
"He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters
At the boundary of light and darkness.
"The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
"He quieted the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
"By His breath the heavens are cleared;
His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.
"Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty thunder, who can understand?"

"As God lives, who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul,
For as long as life is in me,
And the breath of God is in my nostrils,
My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.
"Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
"I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.

"May my enemy be as the wicked
And my opponent as the unjust.
"For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,
When God requires his life?
"Will God hear his cry
When distress comes upon him?
"Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
"I will instruct you in the power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
"Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you act foolishly?

"This is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty.
"Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword;
And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
"His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And their widows will not be able to weep.
"Though he piles up silver like dust
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
He may prepare it, but the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
"He has built his house like the spider’s web,
Or as a hut which the watchman has made.
"He lies down rich, but never again;
He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.
"Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
"The east wind carries him away, and he is gone,
For it whirls him away from his place.
"For it will hurl at him without sparing;
He will surely try to flee from its power.
"Men will clap their hands at him
And will hiss him from his place.