Job 39
1 Do you know when the wild goats give birth? Have you watched the birth-pains of the deer?
“Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?
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 that they fulfil? Or do you know the time when they give birth?
3 They crouch down in labor to deliver their offspring.
They bow themselves. They bear their young. They end their labour pains.
4 Their young grow strong in the open countryside; they leave and never return.
Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go out, and don’t return again.
5 Who gave the wild donkey its freedom? Who set it free from its bonds?
“Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 I have given it the wilderness as its home, the salt plains as a place to live.
whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?
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, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver.
8 It hunts in the mountains for pastureland, searching for all kinds of green plants to eat.
The range of the mountains is his pasture. He searches after every green thing.
9 Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will it spend the night at your manger?
“Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?
10 Can you tie a wild ox to a plow? Can you make it till your fields for you?
Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?
11 Because it's so powerful can you trust it? Can you depend on it to do your heavy work for you?
Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labour?
12 Are you sure it will gather your grain and bring it to your threshing floor?
Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of 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 wave proudly, but are they the feathers and plumage of love?
14 The ostrich abandons her eggs on the ground, leaving them to be warmed in the dust.
For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust,
15 She doesn't think that they can be crushed underfoot, trampled by a wild animal.
and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the 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 deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labour is in vain, she is without fear,
17 For I, God, made her forget wisdom—she didn't get her share of intelligence.
because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding.
18 But when she needs to, she can jump up and run, mocking a horse and its rider with her speed.
When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.
19 Did you give the horse its strength? Did you place a mane upon its neck?
“Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?
20 Did you make it able to jump like a locust? Its loud snorting is terrifying!
Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.
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 goes out to meet the armed men.
22 It laughs at fear; it is not frightened at all.
He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver full of arrows rattles against it; the spear and the javelin flash in the sunlight.
The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin.
24 Shaking with rage it gallops across the ground; it cannot remain still when the trumpet sounds.
He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
25 Whenever the trumpet calls, it is ready; he senses the sound of battle from far away, he hears the commanders shouting.
As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26 Is it through your wisdom that the hawk soars, spreading its wings towards the south?
“Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings towards the south?
27 Do you command the eagle to fly high and make its nest in the summits of the mountains?
Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?
28 It lives among the cliffs, and roosts on a remote rocky crag.
On the cliff he dwells and makes his home, on the point of the cliff and the stronghold.
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 the prey. His eyes see it afar off.
30 Where the carcasses are, that's where birds of prey are found.”
His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is.”
