Ἰώβ 38

1 μετὰ δὲ τὸ παύσασθαι Ελιουν τῆς λέξεως εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ Ιωβ διὰ λαίλαπος καὶ νεφῶν

And after Elius had ceased from speaking, the Lord spoke to Job through the whirlwind and clouds, [saying],

2 τίς οὗτος ὁ κρύπτων με βουλήν συνέχων δὲ ῥήματα ἐν καρδίᾳ ἐμὲ δὲ οἴεται κρύπτειν

Who is this that hides counsel from me, and confines words in [his] heart, and thinks to conceal [them] from me?

3 ζῶσαι ὥσπερ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀσφύν σου ἐρωτήσω δέ σε σὺ δέ μοι ἀποκρίθητι

Gird your loins like a man; and I will ask you, and do you answer me.

4 ποῦ ἦς ἐν τῷ θεμελιοῦν με τὴν γῆν ἀπάγγειλον δέ μοι εἰ ἐπίστῃ σύνεσιν

Where was you when I founded the earth? tell me now, if you have knowledge,

5 τίς ἔθετο τὰ μέτρα αὐτῆς εἰ οἶδας ἢ τίς ὁ ἐπαγαγὼν σπαρτίον ἐπ’ αὐτῆς

who set the measures of it, if you know? or who stretched a line upon it?

6 ἐπὶ τίνος οἱ κρίκοι αὐτῆς πεπήγασιν τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ βαλὼν λίθον γωνιαῖον ἐπ’ αὐτῆς

On what are its rings fastened? and who is he that laid the corner-stone upon it?

7 ὅτε ἐγενήθησαν ἄστρα ᾔνεσάν με φωνῇ μεγάλῃ πάντες ἄγγελοί μου

When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice.

8 ἔφραξα δὲ θάλασσαν πύλαις ὅτε ἐμαίμασσεν ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτῆς ἐκπορευομένη

And I shut up the sea with gates, when it rushed out, coming forth out its mother's womb.

9 ἐθέμην δὲ αὐτῇ νέφος ἀμφίασιν ὁμίχλῃ δὲ αὐτὴν ἐσπαργάνωσα

And I made a cloud its clothing, and swathed it in mist.

10 ἐθέμην δὲ αὐτῇ ὅρια περιθεὶς κλεῖθρα καὶ πύλας

And I set bounds to it, surrounding it with bars and gates.

11 εἶπα δὲ αὐτῇ μέχρι τούτου ἐλεύσῃ καὶ οὐχ ὑπερβήσῃ ἀλλ’ ἐν σεαυτῇ συντριβήσεταί σου τὰ κύματα

And I said to it, Hitherto shall you come, but you shall not go beyond, but your waves shall be confined within you.

12 ἦ ἐπὶ σοῦ συντέταχα φέγγος πρωινόν ἑωσφόρος δὲ εἶδεν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τάξιν

Or did I order the morning light in your time; and [did] the morning star [then first] see his appointed place;

13 ἐπιλαβέσθαι πτερύγων γῆς ἐκτινάξαι ἀσεβεῖς ἐξ αὐτῆς

to lay hold of the extremities of the earth, to cast out the ungodly out of it?

14 ἦ σὺ λαβὼν γῆν πηλὸν ἔπλασας ζῷον καὶ λαλητὸν αὐτὸν ἔθου ἐπὶ γῆς

Or did you take clay of the ground, and form a living creature, and set it with the power of speech upon the earth?

15 ἀφεῖλας δὲ ἀπὸ ἀσεβῶν τὸ φῶς βραχίονα δὲ ὑπερηφάνων συνέτριψας

And have you removed light from the ungodly, and crushed the arm of the proud?

16 ἦλθες δὲ ἐπὶ πηγὴν θαλάσσης ἐν δὲ ἴχνεσιν ἀβύσσου περιεπάτησας

Or have you gone to the source of the sea, and walked in the tracks of the deep?

17 ἀνοίγονται δέ σοι φόβῳ πύλαι θανάτου πυλωροὶ δὲ ᾅδου ἰδόντες σε ἔπτηξαν

And do the gates of death open to you for fear; and did the porters of hell quake when they saw you? (questioned)

18 νενουθέτησαι δὲ τὸ εὖρος τῆς ὑπ’ οὐρανόν ἀνάγγειλον δή μοι πόση τίς ἐστιν

And have you been instructed in the breadth of the [whole earth] under heaven? tell me now, what is the extent of it?

19 ποίᾳ δὲ γῇ αὐλίζεται τὸ φῶς σκότους δὲ ποῖος ὁ τόπος

And in what kind of a land does the light dwell? and of what kind is the place of darkness?

20 εἰ ἀγάγοις με εἰς ὅρια αὐτῶν εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπίστασαι τρίβους αὐτῶν

If you could bring me to their [utmost] boundaries, and if also you know their paths;

21 οἶδα ἄρα ὅτι τότε γεγέννησαι ἀριθμὸς δὲ ἐτῶν σου πολύς

I know then that you were born at that time, and the number of your years is great.

22 ἦλθες δὲ ἐπὶ θησαυροὺς χιόνος θησαυροὺς δὲ χαλάζης ἑόρακας

But have you gone to the treasures of snow? and have you seen the treasures of hail?

23 ἀπόκειται δέ σοι εἰς ὥραν ἐχθρῶν εἰς ἡμέραν πολέμου καὶ μάχης

And is there a store [of them], for you against the time of [your] enemies, for the day of wars and battle?

24 πόθεν δὲ ἐκπορεύεται πάχνη ἢ διασκεδάννυται νότος εἰς τὴν ὑπ’ οὐρανόν

And whence proceeds the frost? or [whence] is the south wind dispersed over the [whole world] under heaven?

25 τίς δὲ ἡτοίμασεν ὑετῷ λάβρῳ ῥύσιν ὁδὸν δὲ κυδοιμῶν

And who prepared a course for the violent rain, and a way for the thunders;

26 τοῦ ὑετίσαι ἐπὶ γῆν οὗ οὐκ ἀνήρ ἔρημον οὗ οὐχ ὑπάρχει ἄνθρωπος ἐν αὐτῇ

to rain upon the land where [there is] no man, the wilderness, where there is not a man in it; so as to feed the untrodden and uninhabited [land],

27 τοῦ χορτάσαι ἄβατον καὶ ἀοίκητον καὶ τοῦ ἐκβλαστῆσαι ἔξοδον χλόης

and cause it to send forth a crop of green herbs?

28 τίς ἐστιν ὑετοῦ πατήρ τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ τετοκὼς βώλους δρόσου

Who is the rain's father? and who has generated the drops of dew?

29 ἐκ γαστρὸς δὲ τίνος ἐκπορεύεται ὁ κρύσταλλος πάχνην δὲ ἐν οὐρανῷ τίς τέτοκεν

And out of whose womb comes the ice? and who has produced the frost in the sky,

30 ἣ καταβαίνει ὥσπερ ὕδωρ ῥέον πρόσωπον δὲ ἀβύσσου τίς ἔπηξεν

which descends like flowing water? who has terrified the face of the ungodly?

31 συνῆκας δὲ δεσμὸν Πλειάδος καὶ φραγμὸν Ὠρίωνος ἤνοιξας

And do you understand the band of Pleias, and have you opened the barrier of Orion?

32 ἦ διανοίξεις μαζουρωθ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἕσπερον ἐπὶ κόμης αὐτοῦ ἄξεις αὐτά

Or will you reveal Mazuroth in his season, and the evening star with his rays? Will you guide them?

33 ἐπίστασαι δὲ τροπὰς οὐρανοῦ ἢ τὰ ὑπ’ οὐρανὸν ὁμοθυμαδὸν γινόμενα

And know you the changes of heaven, or the events which take place together under heaven?

34 καλέσεις δὲ νέφος φωνῇ καὶ τρόμῳ ὕδατος λάβρῳ ὑπακούσεταί σου

And will you call a cloud with your voice, and will it obey you with a violent shower of much rain?

35 ἀποστελεῖς δὲ κεραυνοὺς καὶ πορεύσονται ἐροῦσιν δέ σοι τί ἐστιν

And will you send lightnings, and they shall go? and shall they say to you, What is [your pleasure]?

36 τίς δὲ ἔδωκεν γυναιξὶν ὑφάσματος σοφίαν ἢ ποικιλτικὴν ἐπιστήμην

And who has given to women skill in weaving, or knowledge of embroidery?

37 τίς δὲ ὁ ἀριθμῶν νέφη σοφίᾳ οὐρανὸν δὲ εἰς γῆν ἔκλινεν

And who is he that numbers the clouds in wisdom, and has bowed the heaven [down] to the earth?

38 κέχυται δὲ ὥσπερ γῆ κονία κεκόλληκα δὲ αὐτὸν ὥσπερ λίθῳ κύβον

For it is spread out as dusty earth, and I have cemented it as one hewn stone to another.

39 θηρεύσεις δὲ λέουσιν βοράν ψυχὰς δὲ δρακόντων ἐμπλήσεις

And will you hunt a prey for the lions? and satisfy the desires of the serpents?

40 δεδοίκασιν γὰρ ἐν κοίταις αὐτῶν κάθηνται δὲ ἐν ὕλαις ἐνεδρεύοντες

For they fear in their lairs, and lying in wait couch in the woods.

41 τίς δὲ ἡτοίμασεν κόρακι βοράν νεοσσοὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς κύριον κεκράγασιν πλανώμενοι τὰ σῖτα ζητοῦντες

And who has prepared food for the raven? for its young ones wander and cry to the Lord, in search of food.