Job 39
1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? Or canst thou observe when the hinds are in labor?
Do you know at what time the wild goats in the rocks bear their young? Can you watch when the deer are having their fawns?
2 Canst thou number the months they fulfill, And know the season when they bring forth?
Can you count the months that they gestate? Do you know the time when they bear their young?
3 They bow themselves; they bring forth their young; They cast forth their pains.
They crouch down and birth their young, and then they finish their labor pains.
4 Their young ones are strong; they grow up in the fields; They go away, and return not to them.
Their young ones become strong and grow up in the open fields; they go out and do not come back again.
5 Who hath sent forth the wild ass free? Who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass,
Who let the wild donkey go free? Who has untied the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I have given the wilderness for his house, And the barren land for his dwelling-place?
whose home I have made in the Arabah, his house in the salt land?
7 He scorneth the tumult of the city, And heedeth not the shouting of the driver;
He laughs in scorn at the noises in the city; he does not hear the driver's shouts.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture; He seeketh after every green thing,
He roams over the mountains as his pastures; there he looks for every green plant to eat.
9 Will the wild-ox consent to serve thee? Will he pass the night at thy crib?
Will the wild ox be happy to serve you? Will he consent to stay by your manger?
10 Canst thou bind the wild-ox with the harness to the furrow? Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
Can you use ropes to hold the wild ox in the furrows? Will he harrow the valleys as he follows after you?
11 Wilt thou rely upon him because his strength is great, And commit to him thy labor?
Will you trust him because his strength is great? Will you leave your work to him to do?
12 Wilt thou trust him to bring home thy grain, And gather in thy harvest?
Will you depend on him to bring your grain home, to gather the grain for your threshing floor?
13 The wing of the ostrich moveth joyfully; But is it with loving pinion and feathers?
The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love?
14 Nay, she layeth her eggs on the ground; She warmeth them in the dust,
For she leaves her eggs on the earth, and she lets them keep warm in the dust;
15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, And that the wild beast may break them.
she forgets that a foot might crush them or that a wild beast might trample them.
16 She is cruel to her young, as if they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, yet she feareth not;
She deals roughly with her young ones as if they were not hers; she does not fear that her labor might have been in vain,
17 Because God hath denied her wisdom, And hath not given her understanding.
because God has deprived her of wisdom and has not given her any understanding.
18 Yet when she lasheth herself up on high, She laugheth at the horse and his rider.
When she runs swiftly, she laughs in scorn at the horse and its rider.
19 Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with his trembling mane?
Have you given the horse his strength? Did you clothe his neck with his flowing mane?
20 Hast thou taught him to bound like the locust? How majestic his snorting! how terrible!
Have you ever made him jump like a locust? The majesty of his snorting is fearsome.
21 He paweth in the valley; he exulteth in his strength, And rusheth into the midst of arms.
He paws in might and rejoices in his strength; he rushes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laugheth at fear; he trembleth not, And turneth not back from the sword.
He mocks fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword.
23 Against him rattle the quiver, The flaming spear, and the lance.
The quiver rattles against his flank, along with the flashing spear and the javelin.
24 With rage and fury he devoureth the ground; He will not believe that the trumpet soundeth.
He swallows up ground with fierceness and rage; at the trumpet's sound, he cannot stand in one place.
25 At every blast of the trumpet, he saith, Aha! And snuffeth the battle afar off, —The thunder of the captains, and the war-shout.
Whenever the trumpet sounds, he says, 'Aha!' He smells the battle from far away— the thunderous shouts of the commanders and the outcries.
26 Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk flieth, And spreadeth his wings toward the south?
Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, that he stretches out his wings for the south?
27 Doth the eagle soar at thy command, And build his nest on high?
Is it at your orders that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest in high places?
28 He dwelleth and lodgeth upon the rock, Upon the peak of the rock, and the stronghold.
He lives on cliffs and makes his home on the peaks of cliffs, a stronghold.
29 From thence he spieth out prey; His eyes discern it from afar.
From there he searches for victims; his eyes see them from very far away.
30 His young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is he.
His young also drink up blood; where killed people are, there he is.”
