Job 38
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
“Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform 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 foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who stretched the line upon it?
Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 [Or who] shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, [as if] it had issued out of the womb;
Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,
9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket,
10 And prescribed for it my decree, and set bars and doors,
when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors,
11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?
12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days [began, and] caused the dayspring to know its place;
In your days, have you commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?
that it might spread to the ends of the earth and shake the wicked out of it?
14 It is changed as clay under the seal; and [all things] stand forth as a garment:
The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.
15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm is broken.
Light is withheld from the wicked, and their upraised arm is broken.
16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have you journeyed to the vents of the sea or walked in the trenches of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
18 Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth? declare, if thou knowest it all.
Have you surveyed the extent of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and as for darkness, where is the place thereof;
Where is the way to the home of light? Do you know where darkness resides,
20 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?
so you can lead it back to its border? Do you know the paths to its home?
21 [Doubtless], thou knowest, for thou wast then born, and the number of thy days is great!
Surely you know, for you were already born! And the number of your days is great!
22 Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail,
Have you entered the storehouses of snow or observed the storehouses of hail,
23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
which I hold in reserve for times of trouble, for the day of war and battle?
24 By what way is the light parted, or the east wind scattered upon the earth?
In which direction is the lightning dispersed, or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25 Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood, or a way for the lightning of the thunder;
Who cuts a channel for the flood or clears a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
to bring rain on a barren land, on a desert where no man lives,
27 To satisfy the waste and desolate [ground]; and to cause the tender grass to spring forth?
to satisfy the parched wasteland and make it sprout with tender grass?
28 Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
Does the rain have a father? Who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
From whose womb does the ice emerge? Who gives birth to the frost from heaven,
30 The waters are hidden as [with] stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
when the waters become hard as stone and the surface of the deep is frozen?
31 Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loosen the belt of Orion?
32 Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? or canst thou guide the Bear with her train?
Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear and her cubs?
33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?
Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?
Can you command the clouds so that a flood of water covers you?
35 Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?
Can you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the mind?
Who has put wisdom in the heart or given understanding to the mind?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens
38 When the dust runneth into a mass, and the clods cleave fast together?
when the dust hardens into a mass and the clods of earth stick together?
39 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness? or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions
40 When they couch in their dens, [and] abide in the covert to lie in wait?
when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait in the thicket?
41 Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God, [and] wander for lack of meat?
Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God as they wander about for lack of food?
