Job 39
1 Do you know when the wild goats give birth? Have you watched the birth-pains of the deer?
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats bring forth among the rocks, or hast thou observed the hinds when they fawn?
2 Do you know how many months they carry their young? Do you know the time when they give birth?
Hast thou numbered the months of their conceiving, or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
3 They crouch down in labor to deliver their offspring.
They bow themselves to bring forth young, and they cast them, and send forth roarings.
4 Their young grow strong in the open countryside; they leave and never return.
Their young are weaned and go to feed: they go forth, and return not to them.
5 Who gave the wild donkey its freedom? Who set it free from its bonds?
Who hath sent out the wild ass free, and who hath loosed his bonds?
6 I have given it the wilderness as its home, the salt plains as a place to live.
To whom I have given a house in the wilderness, and his dwellings in the barren land.
7 It despises the noise of the city; it doesn't need to listen to the shouts of a driver.
He scorneth the multitude of the city, he heareth not the cry of the driver.
8 It hunts in the mountains for pastureland, searching for all kinds of green plants to eat.
He looketh round about the mountains of his pasture, and seeketh for every green thing.
9 Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will it spend the night at your manger?
Shall the rhinoceros be willing to serve thee, or will he stay at thy crib?
10 Can you tie a wild ox to a plow? Can you make it till your fields for you?
Canst thou bind the rhinoceros with thy thong to plough, or will he break the clods of the valleys after thee?
11 Because it's so powerful can you trust it? Can you depend on it to do your heavy work for you?
Wilt thou have confidence in his great strength, and leave thy labours to him?
12 Are you sure it will gather your grain and bring it to your threshing floor?
Wilt thou trust him that he will render thee the seed, and gather it into thy barnfloor?
13 The ostrich proudly flaps her wings, but they are nothing like the flight feathers of the stork.
The wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the heron, and of the hawk.
14 The ostrich abandons her eggs on the ground, leaving them to be warmed in the dust.
When she leaveth her eggs on the earth, thou perhaps wilt warm them in the dust.
15 She doesn't think that they can be crushed underfoot, trampled by a wild animal.
She forgetteth that the foot may tread upon them, or that the beasts of the field may break 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 is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers, she hath laboured in vain, no fear constraining her.
17 For I, God, made her forget wisdom—she didn't get her share of intelligence.
For God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he given her understanding.
18 But when she needs to, she can jump up and run, mocking a horse and its rider with her speed.
When time shall be, she setteth up her wings on high: she scorneth the horse and his rider.
19 Did you give the horse its strength? Did you place a mane upon its neck?
Wilt thou give strength to the horse, or clothe his neck with neighing?
20 Did you make it able to jump like a locust? Its loud snorting is terrifying!
Wilt thou lift him up like the locusts? the glory of his nostrils is terror.
21 It paws at the ground, rearing up with power as it charges into battle.
He breaketh up the earth with his hoof, he pranceth boldly, he goeth forward to meet armed men.
22 It laughs at fear; it is not frightened at all.
He despiseth fear, he turneth not his back to the sword,
23 The quiver full of arrows rattles against it; the spear and the javelin flash in the sunlight.
Above him shall the quiver rattle, the spear and shield shall glitter.
24 Shaking with rage it gallops across the ground; it cannot remain still when the trumpet sounds.
Chasing and raging he swalloweth the ground, neither doth he make account when the noise of the trumpet soundeth.
25 Whenever the trumpet calls, it is ready; he senses the sound of battle from far away, he hears the commanders shouting.
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.
26 Is it through your wisdom that the hawk soars, spreading its wings towards the south?
Doth the hawk wax feathered by thy wisdom, spreading her wings to the south?
27 Do you command the eagle to fly high and make its nest in the summits of the mountains?
Will the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest in high places?
28 It lives among the cliffs, and roosts on a remote rocky crag.
She abideth among the rocks, and dwelleth among cragged flints, and stony hills, where there is no access.
29 From there it spies its prey from far away, fixing its gaze on its victim. Its chicks eagerly swallow blood.
From thence she looketh for the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
30 Where the carcasses are, that's where birds of prey are found.”
Her young ones shall suck up blood: and wheresoever the carcass shall be, she is immediately there.
