Job 37
1 At this my heart trembles, beating rapidly within me!
“My heart pounds [DOU] when [I think about] that.
2 Listen carefully to God's thunderous voice that rumbles as he speaks.
Listen, all of you, to the thunder, which is like God’s voice [DOU].
3 He sends it across the heaven; his lightning flashes to the ends of the earth.
He causes thunder to be heard all across the sky, and he causes lighting to flash to the most distant places on the earth.
4 Then comes the roar of thunder, his majestic voice holding nothing back when he speaks.
After [the lightning flashes], we hear the thunder which is like [MET] God’s majestic voice; he does not restrain the lightning when he speaks.
5 God's thunderous voice is wonderful! We can't comprehend the great things he does!
When God speaks, it is awesome, like thunder; he does amazing things which we cannot [fully] understand.
6 He tells the snow to fall and the rain to pour down on the earth.
He commands the snow to fall on the ground, and [sometimes] he causes it to rain very hard.
7 By this he stops people working so that everyone can understand what he does.
And [when God does that, ] it prevents people [SYN] from working, in order that all people may know that he is the one who has done that (OR, what he can do).
8 Even the animals take shelter and remain in their dens.
[When it rains, ] animals go into their hiding places, and they remain there [until the rain stops].
9 The south wind blows in storms, while the north wind blows in cold weather.
The storms/hurricanes come from the place [in the south where they start], and the cold wind comes from the north.
10 God's breath produces ice, freezing the surface of water solid.
[In the (winter/cold season), the cold north wind is like] God’s breath [that] causes [MET] water to freeze; he causes the lakes/streams to become ice.
11 He fills the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning from them.
God fills the clouds with moisture/hail, and lightning flashes from the clouds.
12 They swirl around under his control; they move over all the earth as he commands.
He guides the clouds and causes them to move back and forth in order that they may accomplish all that he commands them to do, all over the world.
13 He does this to accomplish his will, either to discipline or to show his goodness.
Sometimes God sends rain to punish us, and sometimes he sends rain to show us that he acts kindly toward us.
14 Listen to this, Job! Stop for a moment and consider the wonderful things God does.
“Job, listen to this; stop and think about the wonderful things that God does.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds, or makes his lightning flash from them?
(Do you know how God commands the lightning to flash down from the clouds?/We do not know how God commands the lightning to flash down from the clouds.) [RHQ]
16 Do you know how clouds float in the sky—the wonderful work of him who knows everything.
Only God knows everything perfectly; so (do you know how he causes the clouds to (move/float) (amazingly/wonderfully) across the sky?/you certainly do not know how he causes the clouds to (move/float) (amazingly/wonderfully) across the sky!) [RHQ]
17 You know how your clothes drip with sweat when the south wind brings air that is hot and heavy.
No, you just sweat there in your clothes; [it is very oppressive] when the [hot] wind stops blowing from the south and [all the leaves on the trees] (become still/do not move).
18 Can you hammer out the sky so it becomes like a molten mirror, as he does?
(Can you stretch out the skies like God does and make them as hard as [SIM] a sheet of polished brass?/You certainly cannot stretch out the skies like God does and make them as hard as [SIM] a sheet of polished brass!) [RHQ]
19 So why don't you teach us what to tell God? We cannot make our case because we are in the dark!
“Job, tell us(exc) what we should say to God; we do not know anything [IDM]. As a result, we do not know what to say to him to defend ourselves.
20 Should God be told that I want to speak? Anyone who wanted to would be destroyed!
Should I tell God that I want to speak to him? No, because [if I did that, ] he might destroy me.
21 After all, we can't look at the sun when it blazes brightly in the sky, after the wind has cleared away the clouds.
Now, people cannot look [directly] at the sun when it shines brightly in the sky after the wind has blown the clouds away; [so, we certainly cannot look at the brightness of God].
22 Out of the north God comes shining like gold, surrounded in awesome majesty.
God comes out of the north with a light [that shines like] gold; his glory causes us to be afraid.
23 We cannot approach the Almighty for he is far beyond us in power and justice, and doing right.
Almighty God is very powerful, and we cannot come near to him. He always acts righteously, and he will never oppress us.
24 He does not act like a tyrant—no wonder people are in awe of him, though he does not value those who think they're wise.”
That is the reason that we have an awesome respect for him; he does not pay attention to those who proudly, [but wrongly], think that they are wise.”
