Job 39
1 Knowest thou the time when the wilde goates bring foorth yong? or doest thou marke when the hindes doe calue?
“[Job], do you know at what time/season [of the year] the female mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the wild deer while their fawns were being born?
2 Canst thou nomber the moneths that they fulfill? or knowest thou the time when they bring foorth?
Do you know how many months pass from the time they become pregnant until their fawns are born?
3 They bow them selues: they bruise their yong and cast out their sorowes.
[When they give birth, ] they crouch down so that the fawns do not [get hurt by] falling to the ground when they are born.
4 Yet their yong waxe fatte, and growe vp with corne: they goe foorth and returne not vnto them.
The young fawns grow up in the open fields, and then they leave their mothers and do not return to them again.
5 Who hath set the wilde asse at libertie? or who hath loosed the bondes of the wilde asse?
“Who allows the wild donkeys to go wherever they want [DOU]?
6 It is I which haue made the wildernesse his house, and the salt places his dwellings.
I am the one who put them in the desert, in places where grass does not grow.
7 He derideth the multitude of the citie: he heareth not the crie of the driuer.
They do not like the noise in the cities; [in the desert] they do not have to listen to the shouts of those who force donkeys to work.
8 He seeketh out the mountaine for his pasture, and searcheth after euery greene thing.
They go to the hills to find food; there they search for grass to eat.
9 Will the vnicorne serue thee? or will he tary by thy cribbe?
:Will a wild ox agree to work for you? Will it allow you to keep it penned up at night in the place where you put feed for your animals?
10 Canst thou binde the vnicorne with his band to labour in the furrowe? or will he plowe the valleyes after thee?
And can you fasten it with a rope so that it will plow furrows/trenches in your fields?
11 Wilt thou trust in him, because his strength is great, and cast off thy labour vnto him?
Since it is very strong, can you trust it to work for you? Can you go away after you tell it what work it should do [and assume that it will do that work]?
12 Wilt thou beleeue him, that he will bring home thy seede, and gather it vnto thy barne?
Can you rely on it to come back [from the field], bringing your grain to the place where you thresh it?
13 Hast thou giuen the pleasant wings vnto the peacockes? or winges and feathers vnto the ostriche?
“[Think also about] the ostriches. [They] joyfully flap their wings, but they do not have wing feathers [that enable them to fly] like storks do.
14 Which leaueth his egges in the earth, and maketh them hote in the dust,
Ostriches lay their eggs on top of the ground [and then walk away], leaving the eggs to be warmed in the sand.
15 And forgetteth that the foote might scatter the, or that the wild beast might breake the.
Ostriches do not worry that some wild animal may step on the eggs and crush them [DOU].
16 He sheweth himselfe cruell vnto his yong ones, as they were not his, and is without feare, as if he trauailed in vaine.
Ostriches act cruelly towards their chicks; they act as though the chicks belonged to some other ostrich. They are not concerned if [their chicks die], [and so] the laying of the eggs was in vain.
17 For God had depriued him of wisedom, and hath giuen him no part of vnderstanding.
That is because I did not allow ostriches to be wise. I did not enable them to be intelligent.
18 When time is, he mounteth on hie: he mocketh the horse and his rider.
But, when they get up and begin to run, they scornfully laugh at horses with their riders [because the horses cannot run as fast as the ostriches!]
19 Hast thou giuen the horse strength? or couered his necke with neying?
And [think about] horses. [Job], are you the one who caused horses to be strong? Are you the one who put flowing (manes/long hair) on their necks?
20 Hast thou made him afraid as the grashopper? his strong neying is fearefull.
Are you the one who enabled them to leap forward like locusts? When they (snort/blow loudly through their noses), they cause people to be afraid.
21 He diggeth in the valley, and reioyceth in his strength: he goeth foorth to meete the harnest man.
They paw the ground, rejoicing about being very strong, as they prepare to rush into a battle.
22 He mocketh at feare, and is not afraid, and turneth not backe from the sworde,
[It is as if] they laugh at the thought of being afraid. They are not afraid of anything! They do not run away when [the soldiers in the battle are fighting each other with] swords.
23 Though the quiuer rattle against him, the glittering speare and the shield.
The quivers containing the riders’ arrows rattle against the horses’ sides, and the spears and javelins flash [in the light of the sun].
24 He swalloweth the ground for fearcenes and rage, and he beleeueth not that it is the noise of the trumpet.
The horses paw the ground fiercely/excitedly, [wanting the battle to begin, ] and they rush into the battle when the trumpet is blown.
25 He sayth among the trumpets, Ha, ha: hee smellleth the battell afarre off, and the noyse of the captaines, and the shouting.
They neigh [joyfully] when they hear someone blowing the trumpet. They can smell a battle even when they are far away, and they understand what it means when the commanders shout their commands [to their soldiers].
26 Shall the hauke flie by thy wisedome, stretching out his wings toward the South?
“[And think about big birds.] Are you the one who enabled hawks to spread their wings and fly to the south [for the winter]?
27 Doeth the eagle mount vp at thy commandement, or make his nest on hie?
Do eagles fly high up [into the cliffs] to make their nests because you commanded them to do that?
28 Shee abideth and remaineth in the rocke, euen vpon the toppe of the rocke, and the tower.
They live in [holes in] those cliffs. They are safe in those high pointed rocks [because no animals can reach them there].
29 From thence she spieth for meate, and her eyes beholde afarre off.
As they watch carefully from there, they see far away the animals that they can kill (OR, dead bodies of animals).
30 His young ones also sucke vp blood: and where the slaine are, there is she.
After an eagle kills an animal, the baby eagles drink the blood of that animal.”
