Job 38:1–12

The Lord Speaks

38 Then the Lord spoke to Jobw out of the storm.x He said:

2 “Who is this that obscures my plansy

with words without knowledge?z

3 Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.a

4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?b

Tell me, if you understand.c

5 Who marked off its dimensions?d Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring linee across it?

6 On what were its footings set,f

or who laid its cornerstoneg—

7 while the morning starsh sang togetheri

and all the angelsa j shouted for joy?k

8 “Who shut up the sea behind doorsl

when it burst forth from the womb,m

9 when I made the clouds its garment

and wrapped it in thick darkness,n

10 when I fixed limits for ito

and set its doors and bars in place,p

11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;q

here is where your proud waves halt’?r

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,s

or shown the dawn its place,t