Job 39:14–18

14 She lays her eggs on the ground

and lets them warm in the sand,

15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,

that some wild animal may trample them.

16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;

she cares not that her labor was in vain,

17 for God did not endow her with wisdom

or give her a share of good sense.

18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,

she laughs at horse and rider.

14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth,

And warmeth them in dust,

15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,

Or that the wild beast may break them.

16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers:

Her labour is in vain without fear;

17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,

Neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

18 What time she lifteth up herself on high,

She scorneth the horse and his rider.

14 She lays her eggs on top of the earth,

letting them be warmed in the dust.

15 She doesn’t worry that a foot might crush them

or a wild animal might destroy them.

16 She is harsh toward her young,

as if they were not her own.

She doesn’t care if they die.

17 For God has deprived her of wisdom.

He has given her no understanding.

18 But whenever she jumps up to run,

she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.

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 treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;

Her labor is in vain, without concern,

17 Because God deprived her of wisdom,

And did not endow her with understanding.

18 When she lifts herself on high,

She scorns the horse and its rider.

14 The ostrich lays its eggs on the ground

and lets them warm in the sand.

15 It does not stop to think that a foot might step on them and crush them;

it does not care that some animal might walk on them.

16 The ostrich is cruel to its young, as if they were not even its own.

It does not care that its work is for nothing,

17 because God did not give the ostrich wisdom;

God did not give it a share of good sense.

18 But when the ostrich gets up to run, it is so fast

that it laughs at the horse and its rider.

14 For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,

And warmeth them in the dust,

15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,

Or that the wild beast may trample them.

16 She dealeth hardly with her young ones, as if they were not hers:

Though her labor be in vain, she is without fear;

17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,

Neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

18 What time she lifteth up herself on high,

She scorneth the horse and his rider.

14 For she leaveth her eggs to the earth, and warmeth them in the dust, 15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the beast of the field may trample them. 16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers; her labour is in vain, without her concern. 17 For †God hath deprived her of wisdom, and hath not furnished her with understanding. 18 What time she lasheth herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.

14 It lays its eggs on the ground 

and warms them in the dust. 

15 It forgets that a foot may crush them 

or a wild animal may trample them. 

16 It acts harshly toward its young as if they weren’t its own. 

It is not afraid that its work is for nothing 

17 because God has deprived it of wisdom 

and did not give it any understanding. 

18 It laughs at the horse and its rider when it gets up to flee. 

14 She abandons her eggs on the ground

and lets them be warmed in the sand.

15 She forgets that a foot may crush them

or that some wild animal may trample them.

16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not her own,

with no fear that her labor may have been in vain.

17 For God has deprived her of wisdom;

He has not endowed her with understanding.

18 When she proudly spreads her wings,

she laughs at the horse and its rider.

14 For it leaves its eggs to the earth

and lets them be warmed on the ground,

15 forgetting that a foot may crush them

and that a wild animal may trample them.

16 It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not its own;

though its labor should be in vain, yet it has no fear;

17 because God has made it forget wisdom

and given it no share in understanding.

18 When it spreads its plumes aloft,

it laughs at the horse and its rider.

14 Indeed, it leaves its eggs to the earth,

and it lets them be warmed on the ground,

15 and it forgets that a foot might crush an egg,

and a wild animal might trample it.

16 It deals cruelly with its young ones, as if they were not its own,

as if without fear that its labor were in vain,

17 because God made it forget wisdom,

and he did not give it a share in understanding.

18 When it spreads its wings aloft,

it laughs at the horse and its rider.

14 Ostriches lay their eggs on the ground.

They let them get warm in the sand.

15 They do not know that something might step on them.

A wild animal might walk all over them.

16 Ostriches are mean to their little ones.

They treat them as if they did not belong to them.

They do not care that their work was useless.

17 I did not provide ostriches with wisdom.

I did not give them good sense.

18 But when they spread their feathers to run,

they laugh at a horse and its rider.

14 For she abandons her eggs to the earth

And warms them in the dust,

15 And she forgets that a foot may crush them,

Or that a wild beast may trample them.

16 “She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;

Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned;

17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,

And has not given her a share of understanding.

18 “When she lifts herself on high,

She laughs at the horse and his rider.