Job 38
1 Then spake Jehovah to Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind,
2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
“Who is this who questions my wisdom by talking so ignorantly?
3 Gird up thy loins like a man! I will ask thee, and answer thou me!
Prepare yourself, be strong, for I am going to question you, and you must answer me.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding!
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have such knowledge!
5 Who fixed its dimensions, that thou shouldst know it! Or who stretched out the line upon it?
Who decided its dimensions? Don't you know? Who stretched out a measuring line?
6 Upon what were its foundations fixed? And who laid its corner-stone,
What do its foundations rest upon? Who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
when the stars of the morning sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.
8 And who shut up the sea with doors, When it burst forth as from the womb?
Who laid down the boundaries of the sea when it was born?
9 When I made the clouds its mantle, And thick darkness its swaddling-band;
Who clothed it with clouds, and wrapped it in a blanket of deep darkness?
10 When I appointed for it my bound, And fixed for it bars and doors;
I set its limits, marking its borders.
11 And said, Thus far shalt thou come, and no farther, And here shall thy proud waves be stayed!
I said, ‘You may come here, but no farther. Here is where your proud waves stop.’
12 Hast thou, in thy life, given charge to the morning, Or caused the day-spring to know its place,
During your lifetime, have you ever ordered the morning to begin?
13 That it should lay hold of the ends of the earth, And shake the wicked out of it?
Have you ever told the dawn where to appear that it might take hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wicked out?
14 It is changed as clay by the seal; And all things stand forth as in rich apparel.
The earth is changed like clay under a seal; its features stand out like a crumpled garment.
15 But from the wicked their light is withheld, And the high-raised arm is broken.
The ‘light’ of the wicked is taken away from them; their acts of violence are stopped.
16 Hast thou visited the springs of the sea, And walked through the recesses of the deep?
Have you entered the sources of the sea? Have you explored their hidden depths?
17 Have the gates of death been disclosed to thee, And hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
Have you been shown where the gates of death are? Have you seen the gates of utter darkness?
18 Hast thou surveyed the breadth of the earth? Declare, if thou knowest it all!
Do you know how far the earth extends? Tell me if you know all this!
19 Where is the way to the abode of light? And darkness—where is its dwelling-place?
In which direction does light live? Where does darkness dwell?
20 That thou shouldst lead it to its boundary, And that thou shouldst know the paths to its mansion!
Can you take them home? Do you know the way to where they live?
21 Surely thou knowest; for thou wast then born! And the number of thy years is great!
Of course you know, because you were already born then! You've lived so long!
22 Hast thou visited the storehouses of the snow, Or seen the treasuries of the hail,
Have you been to where the snow is kept? Have you seen where the hail is held?
23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, —Against the day of battle and war?
I have stored them up for the time of trouble, for the day of war and battle.
24 What is the way to where light is distributed, And the east wind spread abroad upon the earth?
Do you know the way to where light comes from, or to where the east wind blows over the earth?
25 Who hath prepared channels for the rain, And a path for the thunder-flash,
Who cuts a channel for the rain to flow? Who creates a path for the thunderbolt?
26 To give rain to the land without an inhabitant, To the wilderness wherein is no man;
Who brings rain to an uninhabited land, to a desert where nobody lives,
27 To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, And cause the tender herb to spring forth?
to water a parched wasteland to make the green grass grow?
28 Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of the dew?
Does the rain have a father? Who was the father of the dewdrops?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice? And who hath gendered the hoar-frost of heaven?
Who was the mother of ice? Does the frost of the air have a mother?
30 The waters are hid as under stone, And the face of the deep becometh solid.
Water turns into rock-hard ice; its surface freezes solid.
31 Canst thou fasten the bands of the Pleiades, Or loosen the chains of Orion?
Can you tie together the stars of the Pleiades? Can you loosen the belt of the Orion constellation?
32 Canst thou lead forth the Signs in their season, Or guide the Bear with her sons?
Can you guide the stars of Mazzaroth at the right time? Can you direct the Great Bear constellation and its other stars?
33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Hast thou appointed their dominion over the earth?
Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you apply them to the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, So that abundance of waters will cover thee?
Can you shout to the clouds and command them to pour rain down on you?
35 Canst thou send forth lightnings, so that they will go, And say to thee, “Here we are”?
Can you send out bolts of lightning and direct them, so that they can answer you saying, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who hath put understanding in the reins, And given intelligence to the mind?
Who has placed wisdom inside people? Who has given understanding to the mind?
37 Who numbereth the clouds in wisdom? And who poureth out the bottles of heaven,
Who is clever enough to count the clouds? Who can turn heaven's water jars on their sides
38 When the dust floweth into a molten mass, And the clods cleave fast together?
when the dust has baked into a solid mass?
39 Canst thou hunt prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the hunger of the young lions,
Can you hunt prey for the lion? Can you feed the lion cubs
40 When they couch in their dens, And lie in wait in the thicket?
as they crouch down in their dens and lie in wait in the bushes?
41 Who provideth for the raven his food, When his young ones cry unto God, While they wander about without food?
Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God, weak from starvation?
