Job 37

Elihu Extols God’s Majesty

37“About this also my heart trembles,

and it leaps from its place.

²Listen carefully to his voice’s thunder

and the rumbling that goes out from his mouth.

³He lets it loose under all the heavens,

and his lightning to the earth’s corners.

⁴After it, his voice roars;

it thunders with his majestic voice,^a

and he does not restrain it when his voice is heard.

⁵“God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways;

he does great things, and we cannot comprehend.

⁶For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth’;

and the shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain^b—

⁷he stops all human beings from working^c

so that everyone whom he has made may know it.^d

⁸Then^e the animal goes into its den,

and it remains in its den.

⁹“The storm wind comes from its chamber

and cold from the north wind.

¹⁰By God’s breath, ice is given,

and the broad waters are frozen.

¹¹Also, he loads down thick clouds with moisture;

his lightning scatters the clouds.

¹²And they^f turn around by his guidance

to accomplish all that he has commanded them

on the face of the habitable world.^g

¹³Whether as correction^h or for his land,

or as loyal love, he lets it happen.

¹⁴“Hear this, Job;

stand still and consider carefully God’s wondrous works.

¹⁵Do you know how God commands themⁱ

and how he causes his cloud’s lightning to shine?

¹⁶Do you know about the hovering of the clouds,

the marvelous works of the one with perfect knowledge?^j

¹⁷You whose garments are hot,

when the earth is being still because of the south wind,

¹⁸with him can you spread out the skies,

hard as a molten mirror?

¹⁹“Teach us what we should say to him;

we cannot draw up our case because of the presence of darkness.

²⁰Should he be told that I want to speak?

Or did a man say that he would be communicated with?

²¹So then, they do not look at the light when it is bright in the skies,

when^k the wind has passed and has cleansed them.

²²From the north comes gold—

awesome majesty is around God.

²³As for Shaddai, we cannot attain him;

he is exalted in power,

and he does not oppress justice and abundant righteousness.

²⁴Therefore people revered him;

he does not regard any^l who think that they are wise.”^m