Job 38
1 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
But the Lord, responding to Job from a whirlwind, said:
2 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Who is this that wraps sentences in unskilled words?
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and declare thou to me.
Gird your waist like a man. I will question you, and you must answer me.
4 Where were thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou have understanding.
Where were you, when I set the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined the measures of it, if thou know? Or who stretched the line upon it?
Who set its measurements, if you know, or who stretched a line over it?
6 Upon what were the foundations of it fastened? Or who laid the cornerstone of it
Upon what have its bases been grounded, and who set forth its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
when the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful noise?
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors when it broke forth, like it had issued out of the womb,
Who enclosed the sea with doors, when it broke forth as if issuing from the womb,
9 when I made clouds the garment of it, and thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,
when I stationed a cloud as its garment and wrapped it in a mist as if swaddling an infant?
10 and marked out for it my bound, and set bars and doors,
I encircled it with my limits, and I positioned its bars and doors.
11 and said, This far thou shall come, but no farther, and here thy proud waves shall be stayed?
And I said: “This far you will approach, and you will proceed no further, and here you will break your swelling waves.”
12 Have thou commanded the morning since thy days began, and caused the dayspring to know its place
Did you, after your birth, command the birth of the sun and show the sunrise its place?
13 that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?
And did you hold the extremities of the earth, shaking them, and have you shaken the impious out of it?
14 It is changed as clay under the seal, and all things stand forth as a garment.
The seal will be restored like clay, and it will remain in place like a garment.
15 And from the wicked their light is withheld, and the high arm is broken.
From the impious, the light will be taken away, and the exalted arm will be broken.
16 Have thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or have thou walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have you entered the depths of the sea, and have you taken a walk in the uttermost parts of the abyss?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to thee? Or have thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
Have the gates of death been opened to you, and have you seen the doors of darkness?
18 Have thou comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if thou know it all.
Have you considered the breadth of the earth? If you know all things, reveal them to me.
19 Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And as for darkness, where is the place of it
Which is the way that holds the light, and which is the place of darkness?
20 that thou should take it to the bound of it, and that thou should discern the paths to the house of it?
In this way, you might lead each thing to its final place, and understand the paths of its house.
21 Thou know, for thou were born then, and the number of thy days is great!
So then, did you know when you were to be born? And did you know the number of your days?
22 Have thou entered the treasuries of the snow, or have thou seen the treasures of the hail,
Have you been admitted into the storehouses of the snows, and have you gazed upon the stockpile of the brimstone,
23 which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
which I have prepared for the time of the enemy, for the day of the battle and the war?
24 By what way is the light divided, or the east wind scattered upon the earth?
In what way is the light scattered, and the heat distributed, over the earth?
25 Who has cleft a channel for the water flood, or the way for the lightning of the thunder,
Who gave a course to the rainstorms, and a path to the resounding thunder,
26 to cause it to rain on a land where no man is, on the wilderness, in which there is no man,
so that it would rain on the earth far from man, in the wilderness where no mortal lingers,
27 to satisfy the waste and desolate ground, and to cause the tender grass to spring forth?
so that it would fill impassable and desolate places, and would bring forth green plants?
28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
Who is the father of rain, or who conceived the drops of dew?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of heaven, who has engendered it?
From whose womb did the ice proceed, and who created the frost from the air?
30 The waters hide themselves and become like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
The waters are hardened to become like stone, and the surface of the abyss freezes over.
31 Can thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
Will you have the strength to join together the sparkling stars of the Pleiades, or are you able to disperse the circling of Arcturus?
32 Can thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? Or can thou guide the Bear with her train?
Can you bring forth the morning star, in its time, and make the evening star rise over the sons of the earth?
33 Do thou know the ordinances of the heavens? Can thou establish the dominion of it on the earth?
Do you know the order of heaven, and can you explain its rules here on the earth?
34 Can thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?
Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that an onslaught of waters will cover you?
35 Can thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, and say to thee, Here we are?
Can you send forth lightning bolts, and will they go, and on returning, say to you: “Here we are?”
36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind?
Who placed discernment in the guts of man, or who gave the rooster intelligence?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven
Who can describe the rules of the heavens, or who can put to rest the harmony of heaven?
38 when the dust runs into a mass, and the clods cleave fast together?
When was the dust cast to become the earth, and when were its clods fastened together?
39 Can thou hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions
Will you seize prey for the lioness, and will you sustain the lives of her young,
40 when they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?
as they rest in their dens or lie in wait in pits?
41 Who provides for the raven his prey when his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?
Who provides the raven with its meal, when her chicks cry out to God, as they wander around because they have no food?
