Job 38–41

The Lord’s First Speech³³

^38:1Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:¹

^38:2“Who is this² who darkens counsel³

with words without knowledge?

^38:3Get ready for a difficult task⁴ like a man;

I will question you

and you will inform me!

God’s questions to Job

^38:4“Where were you

when I laid the foundation⁵ of the earth?

Tell me,⁶ if you possess understanding!

^38:5Who set its measurements—if⁷ you know—

or who stretched a measuring line across it?

^38:6On what⁸ were its bases⁹ set,

or who laid its cornerstone—

^38:7when the morning stars¹⁰ sang¹¹ in chorus,¹²

and all the sons of God¹³ shouted for joy?

^38:8“Who shut up¹⁴ the sea with doors

when it burst forth,¹⁵ coming out of the womb,

^38:9when I made¹⁶ the storm clouds its garment,

and thick darkness its swaddling band,¹⁷

^38:10when I prescribed¹⁸ its limits,

and set¹⁹ in place its bolts and doors,

^38:11when I said, ‘To here you may come²⁰

and no farther,²¹

here your proud waves will be confined’?²²

^38:12Have you ever in your life²³ commanded the morning,

or made the dawn know²⁴ its place,

^38:13that it might seize the corners of the earth,²⁵

and shake the wicked out of it?

^38:14The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;²⁶

its features²⁷ are dyed²⁸ like a garment.

^38:15Then from the wicked the light is withheld,

and the arm raised in violence²⁹ is broken.³⁰

^38:16Have you gone to the springs that fill the sea,³¹

or walked about in the recesses of the deep?

^38:17Have the gates of death been revealed to you?³²

Have you seen the gates of deepest darkness?³³

^38:18Have you considered the vast expanses of the earth?

Tell me, if you know it all!

^38:19“In what direction³⁴ does light reside,

and darkness, where is its place,

^38:20that you may take them to their borders

and perceive the pathways to their homes?³⁵

^38:21You know, for you were born before them;³⁶

and the number of your days is great!

^38:22Have you entered the storehouse³⁷ of the snow,

or seen the armory³⁸ of the hail,

^38:23which I reserve for the time of trouble,

for the day of war and battle?³⁹

^38:24In what direction is lightning⁴⁰ dispersed,

or the east winds scattered over the earth?

^38:25Who carves out a channel for the heavy rains,

and a path for the rumble of thunder,

^38:26to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land,⁴¹

a desert where there are no human beings,⁴²

^38:27to satisfy a devastated and desolate land,

and to cause it to sprout with vegetation?⁴³

^38:28Does the rain have a father,

or who has fathered the drops of the dew?

^38:29From whose womb does the ice emerge,

and the frost from the sky,⁴⁴ who gives birth to it,

^38:30when the waters become hard⁴⁵ like stone,

when the surface of the deep is frozen solid?

^38:31Can you tie the bands⁴⁶ of the Pleiades,

or release the cords of Orion?

^38:32Can you lead out

the constellations⁴⁷ in their seasons,

or guide the Bear with its cubs?⁴⁸

^38:33Do you know the laws of the heavens,

or can you set up their rule over the earth?

^38:34Can you raise your voice to the clouds

so that a flood of water covers you?⁴⁹

^38:35Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go?

Will they say to you, ‘Here we are’?

^38:36Who has put wisdom in the heart,⁵⁰

or has imparted understanding to the mind?

^38:37Who by wisdom can count the clouds,

and who can tip over⁵¹ the water jars of heaven,

^38:38when the dust hardens⁵² into a mass,

and the clumps of earth stick together?

^38:39“Do you hunt prey for the lioness,

and satisfy the appetite⁵³ of the lions,

^38:40when they crouch in their dens,

when they wait in ambush in the thicket?

^38:41Who prepares prey for the raven,

when its young cry out to God

and wander about⁵⁴ for lack of food?

^39:1“Are you acquainted with the way¹

the mountain goats² give birth?

Do you watch as the wild deer give birth to their young?

^39:2Do you count the months they must fulfill,

and do you know the time they give birth?³

^39:3They crouch, they bear⁴ their young,

they bring forth the offspring they have carried.⁵

^39:4Their young grow strong, and grow up in the open;⁶

they go off, and do not return to them.

^39:5Who let the wild donkey go free?

Who released the bonds of the donkey,

^39:6to whom I appointed the steppe for its home,

the salt wastes as its dwelling place?

^39:7It scorns the tumult in the town;

it does not hear the shouts of a driver.⁷

^39:8It ranges the hills as its pasture,

and searches after every green plant.

^39:9Is the wild ox willing to be your servant?

Will it spend the night at your feeding trough?

^39:10Can you bind the wild ox⁸ to a furrow with its rope,

will it till the valleys, following after you?

^39:11Will you rely on it because its strength is great?

Will you commit⁹ your labor to it?

^39:12Can you count on¹⁰ it to bring in¹¹ your grain,¹²

and gather the grain¹³ to your threshing floor?¹⁴

^39:1315 “The wings of the ostrich¹⁶ flap with joy,¹⁷

but are they the pinions and plumage of a stork?¹⁸

^39:14For she leaves¹⁹ her eggs on the ground,

and lets them be warmed on the soil.

^39:15She forgets that a foot might crush them,

or that a wild animal²⁰ might trample them.

^39:16She is harsh²¹ with her young,

as if they were not hers;

she is unconcerned

about the uselessness of her labor.

^39:17For God deprived her of wisdom,

and did not impart understanding to her.

^39:18But as soon as she springs up,²²

she laughs at the horse and its rider.

^39:19“Do you give the horse its strength?

Do you clothe its neck with a mane?²³

^39:20Do you make it leap²⁴ like a locust?

Its proud neighing²⁵ is terrifying!

^39:21It²⁶ paws the ground in the valley,²⁷

exulting mightily,²⁸

it goes out to meet the weapons.

^39:22It laughs at fear and is not dismayed;

it does not shy away from the sword.

^39:23On it the quiver rattles;

the lance and javelin²⁹ flash.

^39:24In excitement and impatience it consumes the ground;³⁰

it cannot stand still³¹ when the trumpet is blown.

^39:25At the sound of the trumpet, it says, ‘Aha!’

And from a distance it catches the scent of battle,

the thunderous shouting of commanders,

and the battle cries.

^39:26“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,³²

and spreads its wings toward the south?

^39:27Is it at your command³³ that the eagle soars,

and builds its nest on high?

^39:28It lives on a rock and spends the night there,

on a rocky crag³⁴ and a fortress.³⁵

^39:29From there it spots³⁶ its prey,³⁷

its eyes gaze intently from a distance.

^39:30And its young ones devour the blood,

and where the dead carcasses³⁸ are,

there it is.”

Job’s Reply to God’s Challenge

^40:1Then the Lord answered Job:

^40:2“Will the one who contends¹ with the Almighty correct him?²

Let the person who accuses God give him an answer!”

^40:3Then Job answered the Lord:

^40:4“Indeed, I am completely unworthy³—how could I reply to you?

I put⁴ my hand over my mouth to silence myself.⁵

^40:5I have spoken once, but I cannot answer;

twice, but I will say no more.”⁶

The Lord’s Second Speech⁷

^40:6Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:

^40:7“Get ready for a difficult task⁸ like a man.

I will question you and you will inform me!

^40:8Would you indeed annul⁹ my justice?

Would you declare me guilty so that you might be right?

^40:9Do you have an arm as powerful as God’s,¹⁰

and can you thunder with a voice like his?

^40:10Adorn yourself, then, with majesty and excellency,

and clothe yourself with glory and honor!

^40:11Scatter abroad¹¹ the abundance¹² of your anger.

Look at every proud man¹³ and bring him low;

^40:12Look at every proud man and abase him;

crush the wicked on the spot!¹⁴

^40:13Hide them in the dust¹⁵ together,

imprison¹⁶ them¹⁷ in the grave.¹⁸

^40:14Then I myself will acknowledge¹⁹ to you

that your own right hand can save you.²⁰

The Description of Behemoth²¹

^40:15“Look now at Behemoth,²² which I made as²³ I made you;

it eats grass like the ox.

^40:16Look²⁴ at its strength in its loins,

and its power in the muscles of its belly.

^40:17It makes its tail stiff²⁵ like a cedar,

the sinews of its thighs are tightly wound.

^40:18Its bones are tubes of bronze,

its limbs like bars of iron.

^40:19It ranks first among the works of God,²⁶

the One who made it

has furnished it with a sword.²⁷

^40:20For the hills bring it food,²⁸

where all the wild animals play.

^40:21Under the lotus trees it lies,

in the secrecy of the reeds and the marsh.

^40:22The lotus trees conceal it in their²⁹ shadow;

the poplars by the stream conceal it.

^40:23If the river rages,³⁰ it is not disturbed,

it is secure,³¹ though the Jordan

should surge up to its mouth.

^40:24Can anyone catch it by its eyes,³²

or pierce its nose with a snare?³³

The Description of Leviathan

^{41:1 (40:25)1} “Can you pull in² Leviathan with a hook,

and tie down³ its tongue with a rope?

^41:2Can you put a cord through its nose,

or pierce its jaw with a hook?

^41:3Will it make numerous supplications to you,⁴

will it speak to you with tender words?⁵

^41:4Will it make a pact⁶ with you,

so you could take it⁷ as your slave for life?

^41:5Can you play⁸ with it, like a bird,

or tie it on a leash⁹ for your girls?

^41:6Will partners¹⁰ bargain¹¹ for it?

Will they divide it up¹² among the merchants?

^41:7Can you fill its hide with harpoons

or its head with fishing spears?

^41:8If you lay your hand on it,

you will remember¹³ the fight,

and you will never do it again!

^{41:9 (41:1)14} See, his expectation is wrong,¹⁵

he is laid low even at the sight of it.¹⁶

^41:10Is it not fierce¹⁷ when it is awakened?

Who is he, then, who can stand before it?¹⁸

^41:11(Who has confronted¹⁹ me that I should repay?²⁰

Everything under heaven belongs to me!)²¹

^41:12I will not keep silent about its limbs,

and the extent of its might,

and the grace of its arrangement.²²

^41:13Who can uncover its outer covering?²³

Who can penetrate to the inside of its armor?²⁴

^41:14Who can open the doors of its mouth?²⁵

Its teeth all around are fearsome.

^41:15Its back²⁶ has rows of shields,

shut up closely²⁷ together as with a seal;

^41:16each one is so close to the next²⁸

that no air can come between them.

^41:17They lock tightly…