Job 38
1 Derefter svarede Herren Job ud af Stormen og sagde:
Then Yahweh spoke to Job from inside a great windstorm. He said to him,
2 Hvo er den, som formørker Guds Raad med Tale uden Forstand.
“(Who are you to question what I plan to do?/You have no right/authority to question what I plan to do.) [RHQ] You are speaking ignorantly!
3 Bind op om dine Lænder som en Mand, saa vil jeg spørge dig, og undervis du mig!
I want to ask you [some] questions, so, just like men prepare themselves for a difficult task [MET], prepare to answer my questions.
4 Hvor var du, der jeg grundfæstede Jorden? forkynd det, hvis du har Indsigt?
(“Where were you/Were you there with me) [long ago] when I (laid the foundations of/created) the earth? Since you know so much, tell me [where you were at that time].
5 Hvo har sat dens Maal? du ved det vel? eller hvo udstrakte Snoren over den?
Do you know how I decided how large the earth would be? Do you know who stretched a measuring tape around the earth? Surely [since you think that you know so much, ] you should know that!
6 Hvorpaa ere dens Piller nedsænkede? eller hvo har lagt dens Hjørnesten?
What supports the pillars on which the earth rests? When the stars [that shine early] in the morning sang together, and someone put in place the stone that causes the earth to stay in its place, and all the angels shouted joyfully [when they saw that happening], who laid that cornerstone? [Did you?]
7 der Morgenstjerner sang til Hobe, og alle Guds Børn raabte af Glæde.
8 Og hvo lukkede for Havet med Døre, der det brød frem, gik ud af Moders Liv,
“When the seas poured forth from inside the earth, who prevented the water from flooding over the land?
9 der jeg gjorde Sky til dets Klædning og Mørke til dets Svøb,
It was I, [not you, ] who caused clouds to come over the seas and caused it to become very dark [under those clouds].
10 der jeg afstak for det min Grænse og satte Stang og Døre for det
I set limits for the seas, and I put barriers [so that the water would not come over the land].
11 og sagde: Hertil skal du komme og ikke længere; og her skal være sat Grænse for dine stolte Bølger?
[I pointed to the shore] and said to the water, ‘I permit you to come up to here, but I do not permit you to come any farther. Your powerful waves must stop there!’
12 Har du i dine Dage givet Befaling til Morgenen? har du vist Morgenrøden dens Sted,
“Job, have you [ever] commanded the morning [to begin]? Have you [ever] told the dawn to start a new day?
13 til at gribe Jorden ved dens Flige, saa at de ugudelige rystes bort fra den?
Have you [ever] told the dawn to spread out over the whole earth, with the result that wicked people run away from the light?
14 saa denne forvandler sig som Leret, hvori Seglet trykkes, og Tingene fremstille sig som i deres Klædebon,
When it becomes light after the dawn, the hills and the valleys become clear like the folds in a cloth.
15 og de ugudelige unddrages deres Lys, og den opløftede Arm sønderbrydes?
When it becomes daylight, the wicked do not have the darkness [that they like]; [in the daylight] they no longer are able to raise up their arms, ready to hurt people.
16 Er du kommen til Havets Kilder? og har du vandret paa Dybets Bund?
“[Job, ] have you traveled to the springs [in the bottom of the ocean] from which the water in the seas comes? Have you investigated/explored the very bottom of the oceans?
17 Have Dødens Porte opladt sig for dig? eller saa du Dødens Skygges Porte?
Has someone shown you the gates to the place where dead people are, the gates to the place where it is very dark?
18 Har du overskuet Jordens Bredde? forkynd det, dersom du kender det alt sammen!
Do you know how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all these things!
19 Hvor er Vejen did, hvor Lyset mon bo, og hvor er Mørkets Sted,
“Where is the road to the place where light comes from? And [can you tell me] where darkness lives?
20 at du kunde bringe det til dets Landemærke, og at du kendte Stierne til dets Hus?
Can take me to its home? Do you know where the road is that goes there?
21 Du ved det; thi den Gang blev du jo født, og dine Dages Tal er stort!
I am sure that you know these things, because you [talk as though you] were born before the time when all things were created; you [must] be very old!
22 Er du kommen til Forraadskamrene for Sneen, eller saa du Forraadskamrene for Hagelen,
“Have you entered the place where I store the snow and the place where I keep the hail?
23 hvilke jeg har sparet til Trængsels Tid, til Strids og Krigs Dag.
I store the snow and the hail [in order that I can use them to help my people] when [they have] troubles, in times when [they are fighting] wars [DOU].
24 Hvor er den Vej, hvor Lyset deler sig, hvor Østenvejret spreder sig over Jorden?
And where is the road to the place from which I cause the lightning to flash? Where is the place from where the east wind begins to blow over all the earth?
25 Hvo brød Render til Vandskyl og Vej til Lynet, som gaar foran Torden,
Who created the channels in which the rain comes down from the sky? Who makes the roads for the thunder/lightning?
26 for at lade regne paa det Land, hvor ingen er, i Ørken, hvor intet Menneske er,
Who causes rain to fall in the desert, in places where no one lives?
27 for at mætte de øde og ødelagte Steder og bringe Græsbunden til at spire?
Who sends the rain that gives moisture/water to areas where nothing has grown, with the result that grass begins to grow again?
28 Har Regnen vel en Fader? eller hvo har avlet Duggens Draaber?
Does the rain have a father? Does the dew [also] have a father?
29 Af hvis Moderliv er Frost udgangen? og hvo fødte Rimfrost under Himmelen?
And from whose womb does ice come [in the (winter/cold season)]? Who gives birth to the frost that comes down from the sky?
30 Vandet skjuler sig, som var det en Sten, og Dybets Overflade slutter sig sammen.
[In the winter, ] the water [freezes and] becomes hard, like a rock, and the surface of lakes becomes frozen.
31 Kan du knytte Syvstjernens Baand, eller løse Orions Reb?
“[Job], can you fasten the chains that hold the stars together in clusters/groups in the sky?
32 Kan du lade Dyrekredsens Stjerner komme frem til deres Tid? eller føre Bjørnen med dens Unger frem?
Can you tell the stars when they should shine? Can you guide [the stars in the groups in the northern sky whose names are] the Big Bear and the Little Bear?
33 Kender du Himmelens Love? eller kan du bestemme dens Herredømme over Jorden?
Do you know the laws that the stars must obey? Can you cause those same laws to rule [everything here] on the earth?
34 Kan du opløfte din Røst til Skyen, at Vands Mangfoldighed maa skjule dig?
“Can you shout to the clouds and cause rain to pour down on you?
35 Kan du udlade Lynene, at de fare frem, og at de sige til dig: Se, her ere vi?
Can you cause flashes of lightning to come down and strike where you want it to strike? Do those flashes say to you, ‘Where do you want us to strike next?’
36 Hvo lagde Visdom i Hjertets Inderste? eller hvo gav Forstand i Tanken?
Who enables the clouds to know when they should cause rain to fall?
37 Hvo kan tælle Skyerne med Visdom? og hvo kan udgyde Himmelens Vandbeholdere,
And who is skilled/wise enough to be able to count the clouds? Who can tilt the jugs of water in the sky [to cause the rain to fall],
38 idet Støv løber sammen til en Støbning, og Jordklumperne hænge ved hverandre?
with the result that the dry ground becomes hard as the dry (clods/lumps of soil) [become wet and] stick together?
39 Kan du jage Rov til Løvinden og fylde de unge Løvers Graadighed,
“When a lioness and her cubs crouch in their dens or hide in a thicket, [waiting for some animal to pass by that they can kill, ] can you find animals for a lioness to kill so that [she and] her cubs can [eat the meat and] not be hungry any more?
40 naar de lægge sig ned i deres Boliger og blive i Skjul for at lure?
41 Hvo skaffer Ravnen dens Føde, naar dens Unger skrige til Gud, naar de fare hid og did, fordi de intet have at æde?
Who provides dead animals for crows, when the baby crows are calling out to me [for food], [when they are so weak] because of their lack of food [that] they (stagger around/can hardly stand up) [in their nests]?”
