Job 38:1–41:34
The Lord Reveals His Omnipotence to Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job aout of the whirlwind, and said:
2 “Who bis this who darkens counsel
By cwords without knowledge?
3 dNow 1prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
4 “Where ewere you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the 2line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all fthe sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or gwho shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When hI fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves imust stop!’
12 “Have you jcommanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And kthe wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their llight is withheld,
And mthe 3upraised arm is broken.
16 “Have you nentered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17 Have othe gates of death been 4revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
21 Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
22 “Have you entered pthe treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
23 qWhich I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is light 5diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25 “Who rhas divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
27 sTo satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
28 tHas the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
And the ufrost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is vfrozen. 6
31 “Can you bind the cluster of the wPleiades, 7
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out 8Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide 9the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know xthe ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
36 yWho has put wisdom in 1the mind?
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?
39 “Can zyou hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they crouch in their dens,
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
41 aWho provides food for the raven,
When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?
39 “Do you know the time when the wild amountain goats bear young?
Or can you mark when bthe deer gives birth?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill?
Or do you know the time when they bear young?
They bring forth their young,
They deliver their 1offspring.
4 Their young ones are healthy,
They grow strong with grain;
They depart and do not return to them.
5 “Who set the wild donkey free?
Who loosed the bonds of the 2onager,
6 cWhose home I have made the wilderness,
And the 3barren land his dwelling?
7 He scorns the tumult of the city;
He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searches after devery green thing.
9 “Will the ewild ox be willing to serve you?
Will he bed by your manger?
10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes?
Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
11 Will you trust him because his strength is great?
Or will you leave your labor to him?
12 Will you trust him to bring home your 4grain,
And gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground,
And warms them in the dust;
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may break them.
16 She ftreats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;
Her labor is in vain, without 5concern,
17 Because God deprived her of wisdom,
And did not gendow her with understanding.
18 When she lifts herself on high,
She scorns the horse and its rider.
19 “Have you given the horse strength?
Have you clothed his neck with 6thunder?
20 Can you 7frighten him like a locust?
His majestic snorting strikes terror.
21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
hHe gallops into the clash of arms.
22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened;
Nor does he turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him,
The glittering spear and javelin.
24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage;
Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
The thunder of captains and shouting.
26 “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
And spread its wings toward the south?
27 Does the ieagle mount up at your command,
And jmake its nest on high?
28 On the rock it dwells and resides,
On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.
29 From there it spies out the prey;
Its eyes observe from afar.
30 Its young ones suck up blood;
And kwhere the slain are, there it is.”
40 Moreover the Lord aanswered Job, and said:
2 “Shall bthe one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
He who crebukes God, let him answer it.”
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
4 “Behold, dI am vile;
What shall I answer You?
eI lay my hand over my mouth.
5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;
Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
6 fThen the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
7 “Now g 1prepare yourself like a man;
hI will question you, and you shall answer Me:
8 “Would iyou indeed 2annul My judgment?
Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
Or can you thunder with ja voice like His?
10 kThen adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,
And array yourself with glory and beauty.
11 Disperse the rage of your wrath;
Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.
12 Look on everyone who is lproud, and bring him low;
Tread down the wicked in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together,
Bind their faces in hidden darkness.
14 Then I will also confess to you
That your own right hand can save you.
15 “Look now at the 3behemoth, which I made along with you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16 See now, his strength is in his hips,
And his power is in his stomach muscles.
17 He moves his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
18 His bones are like beams of bronze,
His ribs like bars of iron.
19 He is the first of the mways of God;
Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
20 Surely the mountains nyield food for him,
And all the beasts of the field play there.
21 He lies under the lotus trees,
In a covert of reeds and marsh.
22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade;
The willows by the brook surround him.
Yet he is not disturbed;
He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
24 Though he takes it in his eyes,
Or one pierces his nose with a snare.
41 “Can you draw out aLeviathan 1with a hook,
Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
2 Can you bput a reed through his nose,
Or pierce his jaw with a 2hook?
3 Will he make many supplications to you?
Will he speak softly to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with you?
Will you take him as a servant forever?
5 Will you play with him as with a bird,
Or will you leash him for your maidens?
6 Will your companions 3make a banquet of him?
Will they apportion him among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
Remember the battle—
Never do it again!
9 Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false;
Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
10 No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.
Who then is able to stand against Me?
11 cWho has preceded Me, that I should pay him?
dEverything under heaven is Mine.
12 “I will not 4conceal his limbs,
His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
13 Who can 5remove his outer coat?
Who can approach him with a double bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face,
With his terrible teeth all around?
15 His rows of 6scales are his pride,
Shut up tightly as with a seal;
That no air can come between them;
17 They are joined one to another,
They stick together and cannot be parted.
18 His sneezings flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lights;
Sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils,
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
And a flame goes out of his mouth.
22 Strength dwells in his neck,
And 7sorrow dances before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together;
They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as hard as stone,
Even as hard as the lower millstone.
25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
Because of his crashings they 8are beside themselves.
26 Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail;
Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
And bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones become like stubble to him.
29 Darts are regarded as straw;
He laughs at the threat of javelins.
30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds;
He spreads pointed marks in the mire.
31 He makes the deep boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He leaves a shining wake behind him;
One …