Loading…

24 “Why doesn’t the Mighty One set a time for judging sinful people?

Why do those who know him have to keep waiting for that day?

2 People move their neighbor’s boundary stones.

They steal their neighbor’s flocks.

3 They take away the donkeys

that belong to children whose fathers have died.

They take a widow’s ox until she has paid what she owes.

4 They push those who are needy out of their way.

They force all of the poor people in the land to go into hiding.

5 The poor are like wild donkeys in the desert.

They have to go around looking for food.

The dry and empty land provides the only food for their children.

6 The poor go to the fields and get a little grain.

They gather up what is left in the vineyards of sinners.

7 The poor don’t have any clothes. So they spend the night naked.

They don’t have anything to cover themselves in the cold.

8 They are soaked by mountain rains.

They hug the rocks because they don’t have anything to keep them warm.

9 Children whose fathers have died

are torn away from their mothers.

A poor person’s baby is taken away to pay back what is owed.

10 The poor don’t have any clothes. They go around naked.

They carry bundles of grain, but they still go hungry.

11 They work very hard as they crush olives.

They stomp on grapes in winepresses,

but they are still thirsty.

12 The groans of those who are dying are heard from the city.

Those who are wounded cry out for help.

But God doesn’t charge anyone with doing what is wrong.

13 “Some people hate it when daylight comes.

In the daytime they never walk outside.

14 When daylight is gone, murderers get up.

They kill poor people and those who are in need.

In the night they sneak around like robbers.

15 Those who commit adultery wait until the sun goes down.

They think, ‘No one will see us.’

They keep their faces hidden.

16 In the dark, people break into houses.

But by day they shut themselves in.

They don’t want anything to do with the light.

17 The deepest darkness is like morning to them.

The terrors of darkness are their friends.

18 “But sinners are like bubbles on the surface of water.

Their share of the land is under God’s curse.

So no one goes to their vineyards.

19 Melted snow disappears when the air is hot and dry.

And sinners disappear when they go down into their graves.

20 Even their mothers forget them.

The worms in their graves eat them up.

No one remembers sinful people anymore.

They are cut down like trees.

21 They mistreat women who aren’t able to have children.

They aren’t kind to widows.

22 But God is powerful.

He even drags away people who are strong.

When he rises up against them,

they can never be sure they are safe.

23 God might let them rest and feel secure.

But his eyes see how they live.

24 For a little while they are honored.

Then they are gone.

They are brought low.

And they die like everyone else.

They are cut off like heads of grain.

25 “Who can prove that what I’m saying is wrong?

Who can prove that my words aren’t true?”

NIrV

About New International Reader’s Version (1998)

The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God.

Copyright

Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society.

All rights reserved.

The NIrV text may be quoted for non-commercial usage in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows:

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

When quotations from the NIrV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIrV) must appear at the end of each quotation.

Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Reader’s Version must obtain written permission for use of the NIrV text.

Permission requests for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530.

Permission requests for commercial use within the U.K., EEC, and EFTA countries that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Hodder Headline Plc., 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, England.

Permission requests for non-commercial usage that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, International Bible Society, 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921.

Support Info

nirv

Table of Contents