Job 38
1 Then Yahweh responded to Job, out of a storm, and said: —
| וַיַּֽעַן־יְהוָה אֶת־אִיּוֹב מנ הסערה מִן ׀ הַסְּעָרָה וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ |
2 Who is it that darkeneth counsel, by words, without knowledge?
| מִי זֶה ׀ מַחְשִׁיךְ עֵצָה בְמִלִּין בְּֽלִי־דָֽעַת׃ |
3 Gird, I pray thee—like a strong man—thy loins, that I may ask thee, and inform thou me:
| אֱזָר־נָא כְגֶבֶר חֲלָצֶיךָ וְאֶשְׁאָלְךָ וְהוֹדִיעֵֽנִי׃ |
4 Where wast thou, when I founded the earth? Tell, if thou knowest understanding!
| אֵיפֹה הָיִיתָ בְּיָסְדִי־אָרֶץ הַגֵּד אִם־יָדַעְתָּ בִינָֽה׃ |
5 Who set the measurements thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched out over it a line?
| מִי־שָׂם מְמַדֶּיהָ כִּי תֵדָע אוֹ מִֽי־נָטָה עָלֶיהָ קָּֽו׃ |
6 Whereon were the pedestals thereof sunk? Or who laid the corner stone thereof; —
| עַל־מָה אֲדָנֶיהָ הָטְבָּעוּ אוֹ מִֽי־יָרָה אֶבֶן פִּנָּתָֽהּ׃ |
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
| בְּרָן־יַחַד כּוֹכְבֵי בֹקֶר וַיָּרִיעוּ כָּל־בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים׃ |
8 Or [who] shut in, with double doors, the sea, when, bursting out of the womb, it came forth;
| וַיָּסֶךְ בִּדְלָתַיִם יָם בְּגִיחוֹ מֵרֶחֶם יֵצֵֽא׃ |
9 When I put a cloud as the garment thereof, and a thick cloud as the swaddling-band thereof;
| בְּשׂוּמִי עָנָן לְבֻשׁוֹ וַעֲרָפֶל חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃ |
10 And brake off for it my boundary, and fixed a bar and double doors;
| וָאֶשְׁבֹּר עָלָיו חֻקִּי וָֽאָשִׂים בְּרִיחַ וּדְלָתָֽיִם׃ |
11 And said—Hitherto, shalt thou come, and no further, —and, here, shalt thou set a limit to the majesty of thy waves?
| וָאֹמַר עַד־פֹּה תָבוֹא וְלֹא תֹסִיף וּפֹא־יָשִׁית בִּגְאוֹן גַּלֶּֽיךָ׃ |
12 Since thy days [began] hast thou commanded the morning? or caused the dawn to know its place;
| הְֽמִיָּמֶיךָ צִוִּיתָ בֹּקֶר ידעתה שחר יִדַּעְתָּה הַשַּׁחַר מְקֹמֽוֹ׃ |
13 That it might lay hold of the wings of the earth, and the lawless be shaken out of it?
| לֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ וְיִנָּעֲרוּ רְשָׁעִים מִמֶּֽנָּה׃ |
14 It transformeth itself like the clay of a seal, so that things stand forth like one arrayed;
| תִּתְהַפֵּךְ כְּחֹמֶר חוֹתָם וְיִֽתְיַצְּבוּ כְּמוֹ לְבֽוּשׁ׃ |
15 That their light may be withdrawn from the lawless, and, the lofty arm, be shivered.
| וְיִמָּנַע מֵרְשָׁעִים אוֹרָם וּזְרוֹעַ רָמָה תִּשָּׁבֵֽר׃ |
16 Hast thou entered as far as the springs of the sea? Or, through the secret recesses of the resounding deep, hast thou wandered?
| הֲבָאתָ עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָם וּבְחֵקֶר תְּהוֹם הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ׃ |
17 Have the gates of death been disclosed to thee? And, the gates of the death-shade, couldst thou descry?
| הֲנִגְלוּ לְךָ שַׁעֲרֵי־מָוֶת וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת תִּרְאֶֽה׃ |
18 Hast thou well considered, even the breadths of the earth? Tell—if thou knowest it all!
| הִתְבֹּנַנְתָּ עַד־רַחֲבֵי־אָרֶץ הַגֵּד אִם־יָדַעְתָּ כֻלָּֽהּ׃ |
19 Where then is the way, the light shall abide? And, the darkness, where then is its place?
| אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ יִשְׁכָּן־אוֹר וְחֹשֶׁךְ אֵי־זֶה מְקֹמֽוֹ׃ |
20 That thou mayest conduct it unto the bound thereof, and that thou mayest perceive the paths to its house.
| כִּי תִקָּחֶנּוּ אֶל־גְּבוּלוֹ וְכִֽי־תָבִין נְתִיבוֹת בֵּיתֽוֹ׃ |
21 Thou knowest, for, then, hadst thou been born! And, in number, thy days are many!
| יָדַעְתָּ כִּי־אָז תִּוָּלֵד וּמִסְפַּר יָמֶיךָ רַבִּֽים׃ |
22 Hast thou entered into the treasuries of the snow? And, the treasuries of the hail, couldst thou see?
| הֲבָאתָ אֶל־אֹצְרוֹת שָׁלֶג וְאֹצְרוֹת בָּרָד תִּרְאֶֽה׃ |
23 Which I have reserved for a time of distress, for the day of conflict and of war?
| אֲשֶׁר־חָשַׂכְתִּי לְעֶת־צָר לְיוֹם קְרָב וּמִלְחָמָֽה׃ |
24 Where then is the way the lightning is parted? The east wind spreadeth itself abroad over the earth.
| אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵחָלֶק אוֹר יָפֵץ קָדִים עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃ |
25 Who hath cloven—for the torrent—a channel? Or a way for the lightning of thunders;
| מִֽי־פִלַּג לַשֶּׁטֶף תְּעָלָה וְדֶרֶךְ לַחֲזִיז קֹלֽוֹת׃ |
26 To give rain over the no-man’s land, the desert, where no son of earth is;
| לְהַמְטִיר עַל־אֶרֶץ לֹא־אִישׁ מִדְבָּר לֹא־אָדָם בּֽוֹ׃ |
27 To satisfy the wild and the wilderness, to cause to spring forth the meadow of young grass?
| לְהַשְׂבִּיעַ שֹׁאָה וּמְשֹׁאָה וּלְהַצְמִיחַ מֹצָא דֶֽשֶׁא׃ |
28 Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
| הֲיֵשׁ־לַמָּטָר אָב אוֹ מִי־הוֹלִיד אֶגְלֵי־טָֽל׃ |
29 Out of whose womb, came forth the ice? And, the hoar-frost of the heavens, who hath given it birth?
| מִבֶּטֶן מִי יָצָא הַקָּרַח וּכְפֹר שָׁמַיִם מִי יְלָדֽוֹ׃ |
30 Like a stone, are the waters congealed, and, the face of the roaring deep, becometh firm!
| כָּאֶבֶן מַיִם יִתְחַבָּאוּ וּפְנֵי תְהוֹם יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ׃ |
31 Canst thou bind the fetters of the Pleiades? Or, the bands of Orion, canst thou unloose?
| הַֽתְקַשֵּׁר מַעֲדַנּוֹת כִּימָה אֽוֹ־מֹשְׁכוֹת כְּסִיל תְּפַתֵּֽחַ׃ |
32 Canst thou bring forth the signs of the Zodiac each in its season? Or, the Bear and her Young, canst thou lead?
| הֲתֹצִיא מַזָּרוֹת בְּעִתּוֹ וְעַיִשׁ עַל־בָּנֶיהָ תַנְחֵֽם׃ |
33 Knowest thou, the statutes of the heavens? Or didst thou appoint his dominion over the earth?
| הֲיָדַעְתָּ חֻקּוֹת שָׁמָיִם אִם־תָּשִׂים מִשְׁטָרוֹ בָאָֽרֶץ׃ |
34 Canst thou lift up, to the thick cloud, thy voice, and the overflow of waters cover thee?
| הֲתָרִים לָעָב קוֹלֶךָ וְֽשִׁפְעַת־מַיִם תְּכַסֶּֽךָּ׃ |
35 Canst thou send forth the lightnings, so that they go, and say to thee, Behold us?
| הֽ͏ַתְשַׁלַּח בְּרָקִים וְיֵלֵכוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ לְךָ הִנֵּֽנוּ׃ |
36 Who hath put—into cloud-forms—wisdom? Or who hath given—to the meteor—understanding?
| מִי־שָׁת בַּטֻּחוֹת חָכְמָה אוֹ מִֽי־נָתַן לַשֶּׂכְוִי בִינָֽה׃ |
37 Who can count the thin clouds, in wisdom? And, the bottles of the heavens, who can empty out;
| מִֽי־יְסַפֵּר שְׁחָקִים בְּחָכְמָה וְנִבְלֵי שָׁמַיִם מִי יַשְׁכִּֽיב׃ |
38 When the dust is cast into a clod, and the lumps are bound together?
| בְּצֶקֶת עָפָר לַמּוּצָק וּרְגָבִים יְדֻבָּֽקוּ׃ |
39 Wilt thou hunt—for the Lioness—prey? Or, the craving of the Strong Lion, wilt thou satisfy;
| הֲתָצוּד לְלָבִיא טָרֶף וְחַיַּת כְּפִירִים תְּמַלֵּֽא׃ |
40 When they settle down in dens, abide in covert, for lying in wait?
| כִּי־יָשֹׁחוּ בַמְּעוֹנוֹת יֵשְׁבוּ בַסֻּכָּה לְמוֹ־אָֽרֶב׃ |
41 Who prepareth for the Raven his nourishment, —when his young ones—unto GOD—cry out, [when] they wander for lack of food?
| מִי יָכִין לָעֹרֵב צֵידוֹ כִּֽי־ילדו יְלָדָיו אֶל־אֵל יְשַׁוֵּעוּ יִתְעוּ לִבְלִי־אֹֽכֶל׃ |
