Job 39
1 “Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?
Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?
2 Can you count the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they give birth?
Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?
3 They bow themselves. They bear their young. They end their labor pains.
They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.
4 Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go out, and do not return again.
Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.
5 “Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,
Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?
6 whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?
To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.
7 He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver.
He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture. He searches after every green thing.
He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?
Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?
10 Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?
Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?
11 Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labor?
Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?
12 Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?
Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the feathers and plumage of love?
Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,
14 For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust,
That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,
15 and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them.
Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?
16 She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear,
She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.
17 because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding.
For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.
18 When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.
When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.
19 “Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?
Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?
20 Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.
Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?
21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men.
He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.
22 He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword.
In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin.
The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.
24 He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;
25 As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.
26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south?
Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?
Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?
28 On the cliff he dwells and makes his home, on the point of the cliff and the stronghold.
On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.
29 From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off.
From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.
30 His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is.”
His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.
