Job 39
1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats bring forth among the rocks, or hast thou observed the hinds when they fawn?
Do you know at what time the wild goats in the rocks bear their young? Can you watch when the deer are having their fawns?
2 Hast thou numbered the months of their conceiving, or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
Can you count the months that they gestate? Do you know the time when they bear their young?
3 They bow themselves to bring forth young, and they cast them, and send forth roarings.
They crouch down and birth their young, and then they finish their labor pains.
4 Their young are weaned and go to feed: they go forth, and return not to them.
Their young ones become strong and grow up in the open fields; they go out and do not come back again.
5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free, and who hath loosed his bonds?
Who let the wild donkey go free? Who has untied the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I have given a house in the wilderness, and his dwellings in the barren land.
whose home I have made in the Arabah, his house in the salt land?
7 He scorneth the multitude of the city, he heareth not the cry of the driver.
He laughs in scorn at the noises in the city; he does not hear the driver's shouts.
8 He looketh round about the mountains of his pasture, and seeketh for every green thing.
He roams over the mountains as his pastures; there he looks for every green plant to eat.
9 Shall the rhinoceros be willing to serve thee, or will he stay at thy crib?
Will the wild ox be happy to serve you? Will he consent to stay by your manger?
10 Canst thou bind the rhinoceros with thy thong to plough, or will he break the clods of the valleys after thee?
Can you use ropes to hold the wild ox in the furrows? Will he harrow the valleys as he follows after you?
11 Wilt thou have confidence in his great strength, and leave thy labours to him?
Will you trust him because his strength is great? Will you leave your work to him to do?
12 Wilt thou trust him that he will render thee the seed, and gather it into thy barnfloor?
Will you depend on him to bring your grain home, to gather the grain for your threshing floor?
13 The wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the heron, and of the hawk.
The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love?
14 When she leaveth her eggs on the earth, thou perhaps wilt warm them in the dust.
For she leaves her eggs on the earth, and she lets them keep warm in the dust;
15 She forgetteth that the foot may tread upon them, or that the beasts of the field may break them.
she forgets that a foot might crush them or that a wild beast might trample them.
16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers, she hath laboured in vain, no fear constraining her.
She deals roughly with her young ones as if they were not hers; she does not fear that her labor might have been in vain,
17 For God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he given her understanding.
because God has deprived her of wisdom and has not given her any understanding.
18 When time shall be, she setteth up her wings on high: she scorneth the horse and his rider.
When she runs swiftly, she laughs in scorn at the horse and its rider.
19 Wilt thou give strength to the horse, or clothe his neck with neighing?
Have you given the horse his strength? Did you clothe his neck with his flowing mane?
20 Wilt thou lift him up like the locusts? the glory of his nostrils is terror.
Have you ever made him jump like a locust? The majesty of his snorting is fearsome.
21 He breaketh up the earth with his hoof, he pranceth boldly, he goeth forward to meet armed men.
He paws in might and rejoices in his strength; he rushes out to meet the weapons.
22 He despiseth fear, he turneth not his back to the sword,
He mocks fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword.
23 Above him shall the quiver rattle, the spear and shield shall glitter.
The quiver rattles against his flank, along with the flashing spear and the javelin.
24 Chasing and raging he swalloweth the ground, neither doth he make account when the noise of the trumpet soundeth.
He swallows up ground with fierceness and rage; at the trumpet's sound, he cannot stand in one place.
25 When he heareth the trumpet he saith: Ha, ha: he smelleth the battle afar off, the encouraging of the captains, and the shouting of the army.
Whenever the trumpet sounds, he says, 'Aha!' He smells the battle from far away— the thunderous shouts of the commanders and the outcries.
26 Doth the hawk wax feathered by thy wisdom, spreading her wings to the south?
Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, that he stretches out his wings for the south?
27 Will the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest in high places?
Is it at your orders that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest in high places?
28 She abideth among the rocks, and dwelleth among cragged flints, and stony hills, where there is no access.
He lives on cliffs and makes his home on the peaks of cliffs, a stronghold.
29 From thence she looketh for the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
From there he searches for victims; his eyes see them from very far away.
30 Her young ones shall suck up blood: and wheresoever the carcass shall be, she is immediately there.
His young also drink up blood; where killed people are, there he is.”
