17 For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.
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.
17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.
17 Deep darkness is morning for that bunch; they make the terrors of darkness their companions in crime.
17 For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them, They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
17 The black night is their morning. They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.
8 Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord.
8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
8 I purged God's city of all who make a business of evil. A prayer of one whose life is falling to pieces, and who lets God know just how bad it is.
8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
8 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked and free the city of the Lord from their grip.
David's vow and profession of godliness.
In this psalm we have David declaring how he intended to regulate his household, and to govern his kingdom, that he might stop wickedness, and encourage godliness. It is also applicable to private families, and is the householder's psalm. It teaches all that have any power, whether more or less, to use it so as to be a terror to evil-doers, and a praise to them that do well. The chosen subject of the psalm is God's mercy and judgment. The Lord's providences concerning his people are commonly mixed; mercy and judgment. God has set the one over against the other, both to do good, like showers and sunshine. When, in his providence, he exercises us with the mixture of mercy and judgment, we must make suitable acknowledgments to him for both. Family mercies and family afflictions are both calls to family religion. Those who are in public stations are not thereby excused from care in governing their families; they are the more concerned to set a good example of ruling their own houses well. Whenever a man has a house of his own, let him seek to have God to dwell with him; and those may expect his presence, who walk with a perfect heart, in a perfect way. David resolves to practise no evil himself. He further resolves not to keep bad servants, nor to employ those about him that are wicked. He will not admit them into his family, lest they spread the infection of sin. A froward heart, one that delights to be cross and perverse, is not fit for society, the bond of which is Christian love. Nor will he countenance slanderers, those who take pleasure in wounding their neighbour's reputation. Also, God resists the proud, and false, deceitful people, who scruple not to tell lies, or commit frauds. Let every one be zealous and diligent to reform his own heart and ways, and to do this early; ever mindful of that future, most awful morning, when the King of righteousness shall cut off all wicked doers from the heavenly Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 24:17
Commentary on Job 24:13-17
(Read Job 24:13-17)
See what care and pains wicked men take to compass their wicked designs; let it shame our negligence and slothfulness in doing good. See what pains those take, who make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it: pains to compass, and then to hide that which will end in death and hell at last. Less pains would mortify and crucify the flesh, and be life and heaven at last. Shame came in with sin, and everlasting shame is at the end of it. See the misery of sinners; they are exposed to continual frights: yet see their folly; they are afraid of coming under the eye of men, but have no dread of God's eye, which is always upon them: they are not afraid of doing things which they are afraid of being known to do.