Bible in Basic English
They take their rest at night without clothing, and have no cover in the cold.
They are wet with the rain of the mountains, and get into the cracks of the rock for cover.
The child without a father is forced from its mother's breast, and they take the young children of the poor for debt.
Others go about without clothing, and though they have no food, they get in the grain from the fields.
Between the lines of olive-trees they make oil; though they have no drink, they are crushing out the grapes.
From the town come sounds of pain from those who are near death, and the soul of the wounded is crying out for help; but God does not take note of their prayer.
Then there are those who are haters of the light, who have no knowledge of its ways, and do not go in them.
He who is purposing death gets up before day, so that he may put to death the poor and those in need.
And the man whose desire is for the wife of another is waiting for the evening, saying, No eye will see me; and he puts a cover on his face. And in the night the thief goes about;
In the dark he makes holes in the walls of houses: in the daytime they are shutting themselves up, they have no knowledge of the light.
For the middle of the night is as morning to them, they are not troubled by the fear of the dark.
They go quickly on the face of the waters; their heritage is cursed in the earth; the steps of the crusher of grapes are not turned to their vine-garden.
Snow waters become dry with the heat: so do sinners go down into the underworld.
The public place of his town has no more knowledge of him, and his name has gone from the memory of men: he is rooted up like a dead tree.
He is not kind to the widow, and he has no pity for her child.
But God by his power gives long life to the strong; he gets up again, though he has no hope of life.
He takes away his fear of danger and gives him support; and his eyes are on his ways.
For a short time they are lifted up; then they are gone; they are made low, they are pulled off like fruit, and like the heads of grain they are cut off.
And if it is not so, now, who will make it clear that my words are false, and that what I say is of no value?
— Job 24:7-1964, Bible in Basic English
“They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter. They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor. They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry; Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst. Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them. They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof. The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief. The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face. In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light. 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. He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned. 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. He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow. He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life. Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways. 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. And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth? ”
“They lie all night naked without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And embrace the rock for want of a shelter. There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge of the poor; So thatthey go about naked without clothing, And being hungry they carry the sheaves. They make oil within the walls of these men; They treadtheirwinepresses, and suffer thirst. From out of the populous city men groan, And the soul of the wounded crieth out: Yet God regardeth not the folly. These are of them that rebel against the light; They know not the ways thereof, Nor abide in the paths thereof. The murderer riseth with the light; He killeth the poor and needy; And in the night he is as a thief. The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, Saying, No eye shall see me: And he disguiseth his face. In the dark they dig through houses: They shut themselves up in the day-time; They know not the light. For the morning is to all of them as thick darkness; For they know the terrors of the thick darkness. Swiftly theypass awayupon the face of the waters; Their portion is cursed in the earth: They turn not into the way of the vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters: So dothSheolthose thathave sinned. The womb shall forget him; The worm shall feed sweetly on him; He shall be no more remembered; And unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree. He devoureth the barren that beareth not, And doeth not good to the widow. YetGod preserveth the mighty by his power: He riseth up that hath no assurance of life. God giveth them to be in security, and they rest thereon; And his eyes are upon their ways. They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone; Yea, 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. And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech nothing worth? ”
“They send men away naked, taking away their clothes who have no covering in the cold: Who are wet, with the showers of the mountains, and having no covering embrace the stones. They have violently robbed the fatherless, and stripped the poor common people. From the naked and them that go without clothing, and from the hungry they have taken away the ears of corn. They have taken their rest at noon among the stores of them, who after having trodden the winepresses suffer thirst. Out of the cities they have made men to groan, and the soul of the wounded hath cried out, and God doth not suffer it to pass unrevenged. They have been rebellious to the light, they have not known his ways, neither have they returned by his paths. The murderer riseth at the very break of day, he killeth the needy, and the poor man: but in the night he will be as a thief. The eye of the adulterer observeth darkness, saying: No eye shall see me: and he will cover his face. He diggeth through houses in the dark, as in the day they had appointed for themselves, and they have not known the light. If the morning suddenly appear, it is to them the shadow of death: and they walk in darkness as if it were in light. He is light upon the face of the water: cursed be his portion on the earth, let him not walk by the way of the vineyards. Let him pass from the snow waters to excessive heat, and his sin even to hell. Let mercy forget him: may worms be his sweetness: let him be remembered no more, but be broken in pieces as an unfruitful tree. For he hath fed the barren that beareth not, and to the widow he hath done no good. He hath pulled down the strong by his might: and when he standeth up, he shall not trust to his life. God hath given him place for penance, and he abuseth it unto pride: but his eyes are upon his ways. They are lifted up for a little while and shall not stand, and shall be brought down as all things, and shall be taken away, and as the tops of the ears of corn they shall be broken. And if it be not so, who can convince me that I have lied, and set my words before God? ”
“They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter. They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor. They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry; Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst. Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them. They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof. The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief. The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face. In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light. 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. He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned. 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. He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow. He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life. Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways. 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. And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth? ”
The crushed are turned out of the way; all the poor of the earth go into a secret place together.
Like asses in the waste land they go out to their work, looking for food with care; from the waste land they get bread for their children.
They get mixed grain from the field, and they take away the late fruit from the vines of those who have wealth.
They take their rest at night without clothing, and have no cover in the cold.
They are wet with the rain of the mountains, and get into the cracks of the rock for cover.
The child without a father is forced from its mother's breast, and they take the young children of the poor for debt.
Others go about without clothing, and though they have no food, they get in the grain from the fields.
Between the lines of olive-trees they make oil; though they have no drink, they are crushing out the grapes.
From the town come sounds of pain from those who are near death, and the soul of the wounded is crying out for help; but God does not take note of their prayer.
Then there are those who are haters of the light, who have no knowledge of its ways, and do not go in them.
He who is purposing death gets up before day, so that he may put to death the poor and those in need.
And the man whose desire is for the wife of another is waiting for the evening, saying, No eye will see me; and he puts a cover on his face. And in the night the thief goes about;
In the dark he makes holes in the walls of houses: in the daytime they are shutting themselves up, they have no knowledge of the light.
For the middle of the night is as morning to them, they are not troubled by the fear of the dark.
They go quickly on the face of the waters; their heritage is cursed in the earth; the steps of the crusher of grapes are not turned to their vine-garden.
Snow waters become dry with the heat: so do sinners go down into the underworld.
The public place of his town has no more knowledge of him, and his name has gone from the memory of men: he is rooted up like a dead tree.
He is not kind to the widow, and he has no pity for her child.
But God by his power gives long life to the strong; he gets up again, though he has no hope of life.
He takes away his fear of danger and gives him support; and his eyes are on his ways.
For a short time they are lifted up; then they are gone; they are made low, they are pulled off like fruit, and like the heads of grain they are cut off.
And if it is not so, now, who will make it clear that my words are false, and that what I say is of no value?