Job 39–41

Chapter 39

Knowest thou the time when the wild goats bring forth among the rocks, or hast thou observed the hinds when they fawn?

²Hast thou numbered the months of their conceiving, or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?

³They bow themselves to bring forth young, and they cast them, and send forth roarings.

⁴Their young are weaned and go to feed: they go forth, and return not to them.

⁵Who hath sent out the wild ass free, and who hath loosed his bonds?

⁶To whom I have given a house in the wilderness, and his dwellings in the barren land.

⁷He scorneth the multitude of the city, he heareth not the cry of the driver.

⁸He looketh round about the mountains of his pasture, and seeketh for every green thing,

⁹Shall the rhinoceros be willing to serve thee, or will he stay at thy crib?

¹⁰Canst thou bind the rhinoceros with thy thong to plough, or will he break the clods of the valleys after thee?

¹¹Wilt thou have confidence in his great strength, and leave thy labours to him?

¹²Wilt thou trust him that he will render thee the seed, and gather it into thy barnfloor?

¹³The wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the heron, and of the hawk.

¹⁴When she leaveth her eggs on the earth, thou perhaps wilt warm them in the dust.

¹⁵She forgetteth that the foot may tread upon them, or that the beasts of the field may break them.

¹⁶She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers, she hath laboured in vain, no fear constraining her.

¹⁷For God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he given her understanding.

¹⁸When time shall be, she setteth up her wings on high: she scorneth the horse and his rider.

¹⁹Wilt thou give strength to the horse or clothe his neck with neighing?

²⁰Wilt thou lift him up like the locusts? the glory of his nostrils is terror.

²¹He breaketh up the earth with his hoof, he pranceth boldly, he goeth forward to meet armed men.

²²He despiseth fear, he turneth not his back to the sword.

²³Above him shall the quiver rattle, the spear and shield shall glitter.

²⁴Chasing and raging he swalloweth the ground, neither doth he make account when the noise of the trumpet soundeth.

²⁵When he heareth the trumpet he saith: Ha, ha: he smelleth the battle afar off, the encouraging of the captains, and the shouting of the army.

²⁶Doth the hawk wax feathered by thy wisdom, spreading her wings to the south?

²⁷Will the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest in high places?

²⁸She abideth among the rocks, and dwelleth among cragged flints, and stony hills, where there is no access.

²⁹From thence she looketh for the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.

³⁰Her young ones shall suck up blood: and wheresoever the carcass shall be, she is immediately there.

³¹And the Lord went on, and said to Job:

³²Shall he that contendeth with God be so easily silenced? surely he that reproveth God, ought to answer him.

³³Then Job answered the Lord, and said:

³⁴What can I answer, who hath spoken inconsiderately? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.

³⁵One thing I have spoken, which I wish I had not said: and another, to which I will add no more.

Chapter 40

And the Lord answering Job out of the whirlwind, said:

²Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and do thou tell me.

³Wilt thou make void my judgment: and condemn me, that thou mayst be justified?

⁴And hast thou an arm like God, and canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

⁵Clothe thyself with beauty, and set thyself up on high, and be glorious, and put on goodly garments.

⁶Scatter the proud in thy indignation, and behold every arrogant man, and humble him.

⁷Look on all that are proud, and confound them, and crush the wicked in their place,

⁸Hide them in the dust together, and plunge their faces into the pit.

⁹Then I will confess that thy right hand is able to save thee.

¹⁰Behold behemoth whom I made with thee, he eateth grass like an ox.

¹¹His strength is in his loins, and his force in the navel of his belly.

¹²He setteth up his tail like a cedar, the sinews of his testicles are wrapped together.

¹³His bones are like pipes of brass, his gristle like plates of iron.

¹⁴He is the beginning of the ways of God, who made him, he will apply his sword.

¹⁵To him the mountains bring forth grass: there all the beasts of the field shall play.

¹⁶He sleepeth under the shadow, in the covert of the reed, and in moist places.

¹⁷The shades cover his shadow, the willows of the brook shall compass him about.

¹⁸Behold, he will drink up a river, and not wonder: and he trusteth that the Jordan may run into his mouth.

¹⁹In his eyes as with a hook he shall take him, and bore through his nostrils with stakes.

²⁰Canst thou draw out the leviathan with a hook, or canst thou tie his tongue with a cord?

²¹Canst thou put a ring in his nose, or bore through his jaw with a buckle?

²²Will he make many supplications to thee, or speak soft words to thee?

²³Will he make a covenant with thee, and wilt thou take him to be a servant for ever,

²⁴Shalt thou play with him as with a bird, or tie him up for thy handmaids?

²⁵Shall friends cut him in pieces, shall merchants divide him?

²⁶Wilt thou fill nets with his skin, and the cabins of fishes with his head?

²⁷Lay thy hand upon him: remember the battle, and speak no more.

²⁸Behold his hope shall fail him, and in the sight of all he shall be cast down.

Chapter 41

I will not stir him up, like one that is cruel, for who can resist my countenance?

²Who hath given me before that I should repay him? All things that are under heaven are mine.

³I will not spare him, nor his mighty words, and framed to make supplication.

⁴Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can go into the midst of his mouth?

⁵Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

⁶His body is like molten shields, shut close up with scales pressing upon one another.

⁷One is joined to another, and not so much as any air can come between them:

⁸They stick one to another and they hold one another fast, and shall not be separated.

⁹His sneezing is like the shining of fire, and his eyes like the eyelids of the morning.

¹⁰Out of his mouth go forth lamps, like torches of lighted fire.

¹¹Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, like that of a pot heated and boiling.

¹²His breath kindleth coals, and a flame cometh forth out of his mouth.

¹³In his neck strength shall dwell, and want goeth before his face.

¹⁴The members of his flesh cleave one to another: he shall send lightnings against him, and they shall not be carried to another place.

¹⁵His heart shall be as hard as a stone, and as firm as a smith’s anvil,

¹⁶When he shall raise him up, the angels shall fear, and being affrighted shall purify themselves.

¹⁷When a sword shall lay at him, it shall not be able to hold, nor a spear, nor a breastplate.

¹⁸For he shall esteem iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

¹⁹The archer shall not put him to flight, the stones of the sling are to him like stubble.

²⁰As stubble will he esteem the hammer, and he will laugh him to scorn who shaketh the spear.

²¹The beams of the sun shall be under him, and he shall strew gold under him like mire.

²²He shall make the deep sea to boil like a pot, and shall make it as when ointments boil.

²³A path shall shine after him, he shall esteem the deep as growing old.

²⁴There is no power upon earth that can be compared with him who was made to fear no one,

²⁵He beholdeth every high thing, he is king over all the children of pride.