Job 38
1 And Jehovah answereth Job out of the whirlwind, and saith: —
Then Yahweh called to Job out of a fierce storm and said,
2 Who [is] this — darkening counsel, By words without knowledge?
“Who is this who brings darkness to plans by means of words without knowledge?
3 Gird, I pray thee, as a man, thy loins, And I ask thee, and cause thou Me to know.
Now gird up your loins like a man for I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.
4 Where wast thou when I founded earth? Declare, if thou hast known understanding.
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations? Tell me, if you have so much understanding.
5 Who placed its measures — if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched out upon it a line?
Who determined its dimensions? Tell me, if you know. Who stretched the measuring line over it?
6 On what have its sockets been sunk? Or who hath cast its corner-stone?
On what were its foundations laid? Who laid its cornerstone
7 In the singing together of stars of morning, And all sons of God shout for joy,
when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 And He shutteth up with doors the sea, In its coming forth, from the womb it goeth out.
Who shut up the sea with doors when it burst out, as if it had come out of the womb—
9 In My making a cloud its clothing, And thick darkness its swaddling band,
when I made clouds its clothing, and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
10 And I measure over it My statute, And place bar and doors,
That was when I marked out for the sea my boundary, and when I placed its bars and doors,
11 And say, 'Hitherto come thou, and add not, And a command is placed On the pride of thy billows.'
and when I said to it, 'You may come this far, but no farther; here is where I will put a boundary to the pride of your waves.'
12 Hast thou commanded morning since thy days? Causest thou the dawn to know its place?
Have you given orders to the morning, or caused the dawn to know its place,
13 To take hold on the skirts of the earth, And the wicked are shaken out of it,
so that it might take hold of the edges of the earth and shake the wicked out of it?
14 It turneth itself as clay of a seal And they station themselves as clothed.
The earth is changed in appearance like clay changes under a seal; all things on it stand out clearly like the folds of a piece of clothing.
15 And withheld from the wicked is their light, And the arm lifted up is broken.
From wicked people their 'light' is taken away; their uplifted arm is broken.
16 Hast thou come in to springs of the sea? And in searching the deep Hast thou walked up and down?
Have you gone to the sources of the waters of the sea? Have you walked in the lowest parts of the deep?
17 Revealed to thee were the gates of death? And the gates of death-shade dost thou see?
Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
18 Thou hast understanding, Even unto the broad places of earth! Declare — if thou hast known it all.
Have you understood the earth in its expanse? Tell me, if you know it all.
19 Where [is] this — the way light dwelleth? And darkness, where [is] this — its place?
Where is the way to the resting place of light— as for darkness, where is its place?
20 That thou dost take it unto its boundary, And that thou dost understand The paths of its house.
Can you lead light and darkness to their places of work? Can you find the way back to their houses for them?
21 Thou hast known — for then thou art born And the number of thy days [are] many!
Undoubtedly you know, for you were born then; the number of your days is so large!
22 Hast thou come in unto the treasure of snow? Yea, the treasures of hail dost thou see?
Have you entered the storehouses for the snow, or have you seen the storehouses for the hail,
23 That I have kept back for a time of distress, For a day of conflict and battle.
these things that I have kept for times of trouble, for days of battle and war?
24 Where [is] this, the way light is apportioned? It scattereth an east wind over the earth.
What is the path to where the lightning bolts are distributed or to where the winds are scattered from the east over the earth?
25 Who hath divided for the flood a conduit? And a way for the lightning of the voices?
Who has created the channels for the floods of rain, or who has made a path for the thunder,
26 To cause [it] to rain on a land — no man, A wilderness — no man in it.
to cause it to rain on lands where no person exists, and on the wilderness, in which there is no one,
27 To satisfy a desolate and waste place, And to cause to shoot up The produce of the tender grass?
to satisfy the devastated and desolate places, and to make the ground sprout with grass?
28 Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
Does the rain have a father, or, who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose belly came forth the ice? And the hoar-frost of the heavens, Who hath begotten it?
Out of whose womb did the ice come? Who bore the white frost out of the sky?
30 As a stone waters are hidden, And the face of the deep is captured.
The waters hide themselves and become like stone; the surface of the deep becomes frozen.
31 Dost thou bind sweet influences of Kimah? Or the attractions of Kesil dost thou open?
Can you fasten chains on the Pleiades, or undo the cords of Orion?
32 Dost thou bring out Mazzaroth in its season? And Aysh for her sons dost thou comfort?
Can you lead the constellations to appear at their proper times? Can you guide the Bear with its children?
33 Hast thou known the statutes of heaven? Or dost thou appoint Its dominion in the earth?
Do you know the regulations of the sky? Could you set in place the sky's rule over the earth?
34 Dost thou lift up to the cloud thy voice, And abundance of water doth cover thee?
Can you raise your voice up to the clouds, so that an abundance of rainwater may cover you?
35 Dost thou send out lightnings, and they go And say unto thee, 'Behold us?'
Can you send out bolts of lightning that they may go out, that they say to you, 'Here we are'?
36 Who hath put in the inward parts wisdom? Or who hath given To the covered part understanding?
Who has put wisdom in the clouds or has given understanding to the mists?
37 Who doth number the clouds by wisdom? And the bottles of the heavens, Who doth cause to lie down,
Who can number the clouds by his skill? Who can pour out the water skins of the sky
38 In the hardening of dust into hardness, And clods cleave together?
when the dust runs into a hard mass and the clods of earth clump tightly together?
39 Dost thou hunt for a lion prey? And the desire of young lions fulfil?
Can you hunt down a victim for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of her young lion cubs
40 When they bow down in dens — Abide in a thicket for a covert?
when they are crouching in their dens and sheltering in hiding to lie in wait?
41 Who doth prepare for a raven his provision, When his young ones cry unto God? They wander without food.
Who provides victims for the ravens when their young ones cry out to God and stagger about for lack of food?
