< Job 38 >

1 And the Lord made answer to Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
ثُمَّ قَالَ الرَّبُّ لأَيُّوبَ مِنَ الْعَاصِفَةِ:١
2 Who is this who makes the purpose of God dark by words without knowledge?
«مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يُظْلِمُ الْقَضَاءَ بِكَلامٍ مُجَرَّدٍ مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ؟٢
3 Get your strength together like a man of war; I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers.
اشْدُدْ حَقَوَيْكَ كَرَجُلٍ لأَسْأَلَكَ فَتُجِيبَنِي٣
4 Where were you when I put the earth on its base? Say, if you have knowledge.
أَيْنَ كُنْتَ عِنْدَمَا أَسَّسْتُ الأَرْضَ؟ أَخْبِرْنِي إِنْ كُنْتَ ذَا حِكْمَةٍ.٤
5 By whom were its measures fixed? Say, if you have wisdom; or by whom was the line stretched out over it?
مَنْ حَدَّدَ مَقَايِيسَهَا، إِنْ كُنْتَ حَقّاً تَعْرِفُ؟ أَوْ مَنْ مَدَّ عَلَيْهَا خَيْطَ الْقِيَاسِ؟٥
6 On what were its pillars based, or who put down its angle-stone,
عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْءٍ اسْتَقَرَّتْ قَوَاعِدُهَا؟ وَمَنْ وَضَعَ حَجَرَ زَاوِيَتِهَا؟٦
7 When the morning stars made songs together, and all the sons of the gods gave cries of joy?
بَيْنَمَا كَانَتْ كَوَاكِبُ السَّمَاءِ تَتَرَنَّمُ مَعاً وَمَلائِكَةُ اللهِ تَهْتِفُ بِفَرَحٍ.٧
8 Or where were you when the sea came to birth, pushing out from its secret place;
مَنْ حَجَزَ الْبَحْرَ بِبَوَّابَاتٍ، عِنْدَمَا انْدَفَقَ مِنْ رَحِمِ الأَرْضِ،٨
9 When I made the cloud its robe, and put thick clouds as bands round it,
حِينَ جَعَلْتُ السُّحُبَ لِبَاساً لَهُ وَالظُّلْمَةَ قِمَاطَهُ،٩
10 Ordering a fixed limit for it, with locks and doors;
عِنْدَمَا عَيَّنْتُ لَهُ حُدُوداً، وَأَثْبَتُّ بَوَّابَاتِهِ وَمَغَالِيقَهُ فِي مَوَاضِعِهَا،١٠
11 And said, So far you may come, and no farther; and here the pride of your waves will be stopped?
وَقُلْتُ لَهُ: إِلَى هُنَا تُخُومُكَ فَلا تَتَعَدَّاهَا، وَهُنَا يَتَوَقَّفُ عُتُوُّ أَمْوَاجِكَ؟١١
12 Have you, from your earliest days, given orders to the morning, or made the dawn conscious of its place;
هَلْ أَمَرْتَ مَرَّةً الصُّبْحَ فِي أَيَّامِكَ، وَأَرَيْتَ الْفَجْرَ مَوْضِعَهُ،١٢
13 So that it might take a grip of the skirts of the earth, shaking all the evil-doers out of it?
لِيَقْبِضَ عَلَى أَكْنَافِ الأَرْضِ وَيَنْفُضَ الأَشْرَارَ مِنْهَا؟١٣
14 It is changed like wet earth under a stamp, and is coloured like a robe;
تَتَشَكَّلُ كَطِينٍ تَحْتَ الْخَاتَمِ، وَتَبْدُو مَعَالِمُهَا كَمَعَالِمِ الرِّدَاءِ.١٤
15 And from the evil-doers their light is kept back, and the arm of pride is broken.
يَمْتَنِعُ النُّورُ عَنِ الأَشْرَارِ، وَتَتَحَطَّمُ ذِرَاعُهُمُ الْمُرْتَفِعَةُ.١٥
16 Have you come into the springs of the sea, walking in the secret places of the deep?
هَلْ غُصْتَ إِلَى يَنَابِيعِ الْبَحْرِ، أَمْ دَلَفْتَ إِلَى مَقَاصِيرِ اللُّجَجِ؟١٦
17 Have the doors of death been open to you, or have the door-keepers of the dark ever seen you?
هَلِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْمَنِيَّةِ، أَمْ رَأَيْتَ بَوَّابَاتِ ظِلالِ الْمَوْتِ؟١٧
18 Have you taken note of the wide limits of the earth? Say, if you have knowledge of it all.
هَلْ أَحَطْتَ بِعَرْضِ الأَرْضِ؟ أَخْبِرْنِي إِنْ كُنْتَ بِكُلِّ هَذَا عَلِيماً.١٨
19 Which is the way to the resting-place of the light, and where is the store-house of the dark;
أَيْنَ الطَّرِيقُ إِلَى مَقَرِّ النُّورِ، وَأَيْنَ مُسْتَقَرُّ الظُّلْمَةِ؟١٩
20 So that you might take it to its limit, guiding it to its house?
حَتَّى تَقُودَهَا إِلَى تُخُومِهَا وَتَعْرِفَ سُبُلَ مَسْكَنِهَا؟٢٠
21 No doubt you have knowledge of it, for then you had come to birth, and the number of your days is great.
حَقّاً أَنْتَ تَعْرِفُهَا لأَنَّكَ آنَئِذٍ كُنْتَ قَدْ وُلِدْتَ وَعِشْتَ أَيَّاماً طَوِيلَةً!٢١
22 Have you come into the secret place of snow, or have you seen the store-houses of the ice-drops,
هَلْ دَخَلْتَ إِلَى مَخَازِنِ الثَّلْجِ، أَمْ رَأَيْتَ خَزَائِنَ الْبَرَدِ،٢٢
23 Which I have kept for the time of trouble, for the day of war and fighting?
الَّتِي ادَّخَرْتُهَا لأَوْقَاتِ الضِّيقِ، لِيَوْمِ الْمَعْرَكَةِ وَالْحَرْبِ؟٢٣
24 Which is the way to the place where the wind is measured out, and the east wind sent out over the earth?
مَا هُوَ السَّبِيلُ إِلَى مَوْضِعِ انْتِشَارِ النُّورِ، أَوْ أَيْنَ تَتَوَزَّعُ الرِّيحُ الشَّرْقِيَّةُ عَلَى الأَرْضِ؟٢٤
25 By whom has the way been cut for the flowing of the rain, and the flaming of the thunder;
مَنْ حَفَرَ قَنَوَاتٍ لِسُيُولِ الْمَطَرِ، وَمَمَرّاً لِلصَّوَاعِقِ،٢٥
26 Causing rain to come on a land where no man is living, on the waste land which has no people;
لِيُمْطِرَ عَلَى أَرْضٍ مُقْفِرَةٍ لَا إِنْسَانَ فِيهَا،٢٦
27 To give water to the land where there is waste and destruction, and to make the dry land green with young grass?
لِيُرْوِيَ الأَرْضَ الْخَرِبَةَ، وَلِيَسْتَنْبِتَ الأَرْضَ عُشْباً؟٢٧
28 Has the rain a father? or who gave birth to the drops of night mist?
هَلْ لِلْمَطَرِ أَبٌ؟ وَمَنْ أَنْجَبَ قَطَرَاتِ النَّدَى؟٢٨
29 Out of whose body came the ice? and who gave birth to the cold mist of heaven?
وَمِنْ أَيِّ أَحْشَاءٍ خَرَجَ الْجَمَدُ، وَمَنْ وَلَدَ صَقِيعَ السَّمَاءِ؟٢٩
30 The waters are joined together, hard as a stone, and the face of the deep is covered.
تَتَجَلَّدُ الْمِيَاهُ كَحِجَارَةٍ وَيَتَجَمَّدُ وَجْهُ الْغَمْرِ.٣٠
31 Are the bands of the Pleiades fixed by you, or are the cords of Orion made loose?
هَلْ تَرْبِطُ سَلاسِلَ الثُّرَيَّا، أَمْ تَفُكُّ عُقَدَ الْجَوْزَاءِ؟٣١
32 Do you make Mazzaroth come out in its right time, or are the Bear and its children guided by you?
هَلْ تَهْدِي كَوَاكِبَ الْمَنَازِلِ فِي فُصُولِهَا، أَمْ تَهْدِي النَّعْشَ مَعَ بِنَاتِهِ؟٣٢
33 Have you knowledge of the laws of the heavens? did you give them rule over the earth?
هَلْ تَعْرِفُ أَحْكَامَ السَّمَاوَاتِ، أَمْ أَسَّسْتَ سُلْطَتَهَا عَلَى الأَرْضِ؟٣٣
34 Is your voice sent up to the cloud, so that you may be covered by the weight of waters?
هَلْ تَرْفَعُ صَوْتَكَ آمِراً الْغَمَامَ فَيَغْمُرَكَ فَيْضُ الْمِيَاهِ؟٣٤
35 Do you send out the thunder-flames, so that they may go, and say to you, Here we are?
هَلْ فِي وُسْعِكَ أَنْ تُطْلِقَ الْبُرُوقَ فَتَمْضِيَ وَتَقُولَ لَكَ: هَا نَحْنُ طَوْعَ أَمْرِكَ؟٣٥
36 Who has put wisdom in the high clouds, or given knowledge to the lights of the north?
مَنْ أَضْفَى عَلَى الْغُيُومِ حِكْمَةً وَأَنْعَمَ عَلَى الضَّبَابِ بِالْفَهْمِ؟٣٦
37 By whose wisdom are the clouds numbered, or the water-skins of the heavens turned to the earth,
مَنْ لَهُ الْحِكْمَةُ لِيُحْصِيَ النُّجُومَ، وَمَنْ يَصُبُّ الْمَاءَ مِنْ مَيَازِيبِ السَّمَاءِ،٣٧
38 When the earth becomes hard as metal, and is joined together in masses?
حِينَ يَتَلَبَّدُ التُّرَابُ وَتَتَمَاسَكُ كُتَلُ الطِّينِ؟٣٨
39 Do you go after food for the she-lion, or get meat so that the young lions may have enough,
هَلْ تَصْطَادُ الْفَرِيسَةَ لِلَّبُؤَةِ، أَمْ تُشْبِعُ جُوعَ الأَشْبَالِ،٣٩
40 When they are stretched out in their holes, and are waiting in the brushwood?
حِينَ تَتَرَبَّصُ فِي الْعَرَائِنِ وَتَكْمُنُ فِي أَوْجَارِهَا؟٤٠
41 Who gives in the evening the meat he is searching for, when his young ones are crying to God; when the young lions with loud noise go wandering after their food?
مَنْ يُزَوِّدُ الْغُرَابَ بِصَيْدِهِ إِذْ تَنْعَبُ فِرَاخُهُ مُسْتَغِيثَةً بِاللهِ، وَتَهِيمُ لاِفْتِقَارِهَا إِلَى الْقُوتِ؟٤١

< Job 38 >