Job 39
1 Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? Or canst thou observe when the hinds are in labor?
2 Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?
Canst thou number the months they fulfill, And know the season when they bring forth?
3 They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.
They bow themselves; they bring forth their young; They cast forth their pains.
4 Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.
Their young ones are strong; they grow up in the fields; They go away, and return not to them.
5 Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?
Who hath sent forth the wild ass free? Who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass,
6 To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.
To whom I have given the wilderness for his house, And the barren land for his dwelling-place?
7 He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;
He scorneth the tumult of the city, And heedeth not the shouting of the driver;
8 He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.
The range of the mountains is his pasture; He seeketh after every green thing,
9 Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?
Will the wild-ox consent to serve thee? Will he pass the night at thy crib?
10 Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?
Canst thou bind the wild-ox with the harness to the furrow? Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
11 Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?
Wilt thou rely upon him because his strength is great, And commit to him thy labor?
12 Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?
Wilt thou trust him to bring home thy grain, And gather in thy harvest?
13 Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,
The wing of the ostrich moveth joyfully; But is it with loving pinion and feathers?
14 That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,
Nay, she layeth her eggs on the ground; She warmeth them in the dust,
15 Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?
And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, And that the wild beast may break them.
16 She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.
She is cruel to her young, as if they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, yet she feareth not;
17 For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.
Because God hath denied her wisdom, And hath not given her understanding.
18 When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.
Yet when she lasheth herself up on high, She laugheth at the horse and his rider.
19 Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?
Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with his trembling mane?
20 Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?
Hast thou taught him to bound like the locust? How majestic his snorting! how terrible!
21 He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.
He paweth in the valley; he exulteth in his strength, And rusheth into the midst of arms.
22 In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.
He laugheth at fear; he trembleth not, And turneth not back from the sword.
23 The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.
Against him rattle the quiver, The flaming spear, and the lance.
24 Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;
With rage and fury he devoureth the ground; He will not believe that the trumpet soundeth.
25 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.
At every blast of the trumpet, he saith, Aha! And snuffeth the battle afar off, —The thunder of the captains, and the war-shout.
26 Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?
Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk flieth, And spreadeth his wings toward the south?
27 Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?
Doth the eagle soar at thy command, And build his nest on high?
28 On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.
He dwelleth and lodgeth upon the rock, Upon the peak of the rock, and the stronghold.
29 From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.
From thence he spieth out prey; His eyes discern it from afar.
30 His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.
His young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is he.
