Job 39
1 “Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?
Hast thou known the time of The bearing of the wild goats of the rock? The bringing forth of hinds thou dost mark!
2 Can you count the months that they fulfil? Or do you know the time when they give birth?
Thou dost number the months they fulfil? And thou hast known the time of their bringing forth!
3 They bow themselves. They bear their young. They end their labour pains.
They bow down, Their young ones they bring forth safely, Their pangs they cast forth.
4 Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go out, and don’t return again.
Safe are their young ones, They grow up in the field, they have gone out, And have not returned to them.
5 “Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,
Who hath sent forth the wild ass free? Yea, the bands of the wild ass who opened?
6 whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?
Whose house I have made the wilderness, And his dwellings the barren land,
7 He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver.
He doth laugh at the multitude of a city, The cries of an exactor he heareth not.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture. He searches after every green thing.
The range of mountains [is] his pasture, And after every green thing he seeketh.
9 “Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?
Is a Reem willing to serve thee? Doth he lodge by thy crib?
10 Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?
Dost thou bind a Reem in a furrow [with] his thick band? Doth he harrow valleys after thee?
11 Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labour?
Dost thou trust in him because great [is] his power? And dost thou leave unto him thy labour?
12 Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?
Dost thou trust in him That he doth bring back thy seed? And [to] thy threshing-floor doth gather [it]?
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the feathers and plumage of love?
The wing of the rattling ones exulteth, Whether the pinion of the ostrich or hawk.
14 For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust,
For she leaveth on the earth her eggs, And on the dust she doth warm them,
15 and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them.
And she forgetteth that a foot may press it, And a beast of the field tread it down.
16 She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labour is in vain, she is without fear,
Her young ones it hath hardened without her, In vain [is] her labour without fear.
17 because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding.
For God hath caused her to forget wisdom, And He hath not given a portion To her in understanding:
18 When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.
At the time on high she lifteth herself up, She laugheth at the horse and at his rider.
19 “Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?
Dost thou give to the horse might? Dost thou clothe his neck [with] a mane?
20 Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.
Dost thou cause him to rush as a locust? The majesty of his snorting [is] terrible.
21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men.
They dig in a valley, and he rejoiceth in power, He goeth forth to meet the armour.
22 He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword.
He laugheth at fear, and is not affrighted, And he turneth not back from the face of the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin.
Against him rattle doth quiver, The flame of a spear, and a halbert.
24 He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the shofar.
With trembling and rage he swalloweth the ground, And remaineth not stedfast Because of the sound of a trumpet.
25 As often as the shofar sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
Among the trumpets he saith, Aha, And from afar he doth smell battle, Roaring of princes and shouting.
26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings towards the south?
By thine understanding flieth a hawk? Spreadeth he his wings to the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?
At thy command goeth an eagle up high? Or lifteth he up his nest?
28 On the cliff he dwells and makes his home, on the point of the cliff and the stronghold.
A rock he doth inhabit, Yea, he lodgeth on the tooth of a rock, and fortress.
29 From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off.
From thence he hath sought food, To a far off place his eyes look attentively,
30 His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is.”
And his brood gulp up blood, And where the pierced [are] — there [is] he!
