Job 39
1 Do you know when the wild goats give birth? Have you watched the birth-pains of the deer?
“Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the doe bear her fawn?
2 Do you know how many months they carry their young? Do you know the time when they give birth?
Can you count the months they are pregnant? Do you know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch down in labor to deliver their offspring.
They crouch down and bring forth their young; they deliver their newborn.
4 Their young grow strong in the open countryside; they leave and never return.
Their young ones thrive and grow up in the open field; they leave and do not return.
5 Who gave the wild donkey its freedom? Who set it free from its bonds?
Who set the wild donkey free? Who released the swift donkey from the harness?
6 I have given it the wilderness as its home, the salt plains as a place to live.
I made the wilderness his home and the salt flats his dwelling.
7 It despises the noise of the city; it doesn't need to listen to the shouts of a driver.
He scorns the tumult of the city and never hears the shouts of a driver.
8 It hunts in the mountains for pastureland, searching for all kinds of green plants to eat.
He roams the mountains for pasture, searching for any green thing.
9 Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will it spend the night at your manger?
Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night?
10 Can you tie a wild ox to a plow? Can you make it till your fields for you?
Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness? Will he plow the valleys behind you?
11 Because it's so powerful can you trust it? Can you depend on it to do your heavy work for you?
Can you rely on his great strength? Will you leave your hard work to him?
12 Are you sure it will gather your grain and bring it to your threshing floor?
Can you trust him to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 The ostrich proudly flaps her wings, but they are nothing like the flight feathers of the stork.
The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but cannot match the pinions and feathers of the stork.
14 The ostrich abandons her eggs on the ground, leaving them to be warmed in the dust.
For she leaves her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand.
15 She doesn't think that they can be crushed underfoot, trampled by a wild animal.
She forgets that a foot may crush them, or a wild animal may trample them.
16 She is tough towards her young, acting as if they didn't belong to her. She doesn't care that all her work was for nothing.
She treats her young harshly, as if not her own, with no concern that her labor was in vain.
17 For I, God, made her forget wisdom—she didn't get her share of intelligence.
For God has deprived her of wisdom; He has not endowed her with understanding.
18 But when she needs to, she can jump up and run, mocking a horse and its rider with her speed.
Yet when she proudly spreads her wings, she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 Did you give the horse its strength? Did you place a mane upon its neck?
Do you give strength to the horse or adorn his neck with a mane?
20 Did you make it able to jump like a locust? Its loud snorting is terrifying!
Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?
21 It paws at the ground, rearing up with power as it charges into battle.
He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; he charges into battle.
22 It laughs at fear; it is not frightened at all.
He laughs at fear, frightened of nothing; he does not turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver full of arrows rattles against it; the spear and the javelin flash in the sunlight.
A quiver rattles at his side, along with a flashing spear and lance.
24 Shaking with rage it gallops across the ground; it cannot remain still when the trumpet sounds.
Trembling with excitement, he devours the distance; he cannot stand still when the ram’s horn sounds.
25 Whenever the trumpet calls, it is ready; he senses the sound of battle from far away, he hears the commanders shouting.
At the blast of the horn, he snorts with fervor. He catches the scent of battle from afar— the shouts of captains and the cry of war.
26 Is it through your wisdom that the hawk soars, spreading its wings towards the south?
Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread his wings toward the south?
27 Do you command the eagle to fly high and make its nest in the summits of the mountains?
Does the eagle soar at your command and make his nest on high?
28 It lives among the cliffs, and roosts on a remote rocky crag.
He dwells on a cliff and lodges there; his stronghold is on a rocky crag.
29 From there it spies its prey from far away, fixing its gaze on its victim. Its chicks eagerly swallow blood.
From there he spies out food; his eyes see it from afar.
30 Where the carcasses are, that's where birds of prey are found.”
His young ones feast on blood; and where the slain are, there he is.”
