Job 39
1 “Have you known the time of The bearing of the wild goats of the rock? Do you mark the bringing forth of does?
Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?
2 Do you number the months they fulfill? And have you known the time of their bringing forth?
Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?
3 They bow down, They bring forth their young ones safely, They cast forth their pangs.
They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.
4 Their young ones are safe, They grow up in the field, they have gone out, And have not returned to them.
Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.
5 Who has sent forth the wild donkey free? Indeed, who opened the bands of the wild donkey?
Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?
6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, And his dwellings the barren land,
To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.
7 He laughs at the multitude of a city, He does not hear the cries of an exactor.
He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;
8 The range of mountains [is] his pasture, And he seeks after every green thing.
He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.
9 Is a wild ox willing to serve you? Does he lodge by your crib?
Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?
10 Do you bind a wild ox in a furrow [with] his thick band? Does he harrow valleys after you?
Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?
11 Do you trust in him because his power [is] great? And do you leave your labor to him?
Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?
12 Do you trust in him That he brings back your seed, And gathers [it to] your threshing-floor?
Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?
13 [The] wing of the crying ostriches exults, but as a pinion and feather of a stork?
Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,
14 For she leaves her eggs on the earth, And she warms them on the dust,
That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may press it, And a beast of the field treads it down.
Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?
16 It has hardened her young ones without her, Her labor [is] in vain, without fear.
She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.
17 For God has caused her to forget wisdom, And He has not given a portion To her in understanding;
For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.
18 At the time she lifts herself up on high, She laughs at the horse and his rider.
When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.
19 Do you give might to the horse? Do you clothe his neck [with] a mane?
Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?
20 Do you cause him to rush as a locust? The splendor of his snorting [is] terrible.
Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?
21 They dig in a valley, and he rejoices in power, He goes forth to meet the armor.
He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.
22 He laughs at fear, and is not frightened, And he does not turn back from the face of the sword.
In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.
23 Quiver rattles against him, The flame of a spear, and a javelin.
The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.
24 He swallows the ground with trembling and rage, And does not remain steadfast Because of the sound of a horn.
Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;
25 Among the horns he says, Aha, And from afar he smells battle, Roaring of princes and shouting.
When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.
26 By your understanding does a hawk fly? Does he spread his wings to the south?
Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?
27 At your command does an eagle go up high? Or lift up his nest?
Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?
28 He inhabits a rock, Indeed, he lodges on the tooth of a rock, and fortress.
On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.
29 From there he has sought food, His eyes look attentively to a far-off place,
From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.
30 And his brood sucks up blood, And where the pierced [are]—there [is] he!”
His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.
