Ἰώβ 39
1 εἰ ἔγνως καιρὸν τοκετοῦ τραγελάφων πέτρας ἐφύλαξας δὲ ὠδῖνας ἐλάφων
Knowest thou the season when the Wild Goats of the crags beget? The bringing forth of the hinds, canst thou observe?
2 ἠρίθμησας δὲ αὐτῶν μῆνας πλήρεις τοκετοῦ ὠδῖνας δὲ αὐτῶν ἔλυσας
Canst thou count the months they fulfil? Or knowest thou the time when they give birth?
3 ἐξέθρεψας δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ παιδία ἔξω φόβου ὠδῖνας αὐτῶν ἐξαποστελεῖς
They kneel down, their young, they bring forth; their pains, they throw off;
4 ἀπορρήξουσιν τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν πληθυνθήσονται ἐν γενήματι ἐξελεύσονται καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀνακάμψουσιν αὐτοῖς
Their young become strong, they grow up in the open field, they go out, and return not unto them.
5 τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἀφεὶς ὄνον ἄγριον ἐλεύθερον δεσμοὺς δὲ αὐτοῦ τίς ἔλυσεν
Who hath sent forth the Wild Ass free? And, the bands of the swift-runner, who hath loosed?
6 ἐθέμην δὲ τὴν δίαιταν αὐτοῦ ἔρημον καὶ τὰ σκηνώματα αὐτοῦ ἁλμυρίδα
Whose house I have made the waste plain, and his dwellings, the land of salt:
7 καταγελῶν πολυοχλίας πόλεως μέμψιν δὲ φορολόγου οὐκ ἀκούων
He laugheth at the throng of the city, The shoutings of the driver, he heareth not;
8 κατασκέψεται ὄρη νομὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὀπίσω παντὸς χλωροῦ ζητεῖ
He espieth the mountains, his pasture-ground, and, after every green thing, maketh search.
9 βουλήσεται δέ σοι μονόκερως δουλεῦσαι ἢ κοιμηθῆναι ἐπὶ φάτνης σου
Will the Wild-Ox be pleased to be thy servant? or lodge for the night by thy crib?
10 δήσεις δὲ ἐν ἱμᾶσι ζυγὸν αὐτοῦ ἢ ἑλκύσει σου αὔλακας ἐν πεδίῳ
Canst thou bind the wild-ox, so that—with the ridge—shall run his cord? Or will he harrow the furrows after thee?
11 πέποιθας δὲ ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ὅτι πολλὴ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ ἐπαφήσεις δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ ἔργα σου
Wilt thou trust in him, because of the greatness of his strength? Wilt thou leave unto him thy toil?
12 πιστεύσεις δὲ ὅτι ἀποδώσει σοι τὸν σπόρον εἰσοίσει δέ σου τὸν ἅλωνα
Wilt thou put faith in him, that he will bring back thy seed? and that, corn for thy threshing-floor, he will gather?
13 πτέρυξ τερπομένων νεελασα ἐὰν συλλάβῃ ασιδα καὶ νεσσα
The wing of the Ostrich that waveth itself joyfully, Is it the pinion of lovingkindness or the plumage?
14 ὅτι ἀφήσει εἰς γῆν τὰ ᾠὰ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ χοῦν θάλψει
For she leaveth—to the earth—her eggs, and, on the dust, she letteth them be warmed;
15 καὶ ἐπελάθετο ὅτι ποὺς σκορπιεῖ καὶ θηρία ἀγροῦ καταπατήσει
And hath forgotten, that, a foot, may crush them, —or, the wild beast, tread on them!
16 ἀπεσκλήρυνεν τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς ὥστε μὴ ἑαυτῇ εἰς κενὸν ἐκοπίασεν ἄνευ φόβου
Dealing hardly with her young, as none-of-hers, In vain, her labour, without dread.
17 ὅτι κατεσιώπησεν αὐτῇ ὁ θεὸς σοφίαν καὶ οὐκ ἐμέρισεν αὐτῇ ἐν τῇ συνέσει
For GOD hath suffered her to forget wisdom, and given her no share in understanding.
18 κατὰ καιρὸν ἐν ὕψει ὑψώσει καταγελάσεται ἵππου καὶ τοῦ ἐπιβάτου αὐτοῦ
What time, on high, she vibrateth her wings, she laugheth at the horse and his rider.
19 ἦ σὺ περιέθηκας ἵππῳ δύναμιν ἐνέδυσας δὲ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ φόβον
Couldst thou give—to the Horse—strength? Couldst thou clothe his neck with the quivering mane?
20 περιέθηκας δὲ αὐτῷ πανοπλίαν δόξαν δὲ στηθέων αὐτοῦ τόλμῃ
Couldst thou cause him to leap like a locust? The majesty of his snort, is a terror!
21 ἀνορύσσων ἐν πεδίῳ γαυριᾷ ἐκπορεύεται δὲ εἰς πεδίον ἐν ἰσχύι
He diggeth into the plain, and rejoiceth in vigour, he goeth forth to meet armour;
22 συναντῶν βέλει καταγελᾷ καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ ἀπὸ σιδήρου
He laugheth at dread, and is not dismayed, neither turneth he back, from the face of the sword;
23 ἐπ’ αὐτῷ γαυριᾷ τόξον καὶ μάχαιρα
Against him, whiz [the arrows of] the quiver, the flashing head of spear and javelin;
24 καὶ ὀργῇ ἀφανιεῖ τὴν γῆν καὶ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσῃ ἕως ἂν σημάνῃ σάλπιγξ
With stamping and rage, he drinketh up the ground, —he will not stand still when the horn soundeth;
25 σάλπιγγος δὲ σημαινούσης λέγει εὖγε πόρρωθεν δὲ ὀσφραίνεται πολέμου σὺν ἅλματι καὶ κραυγῇ
As oft as the horn soundeth, he saith, Aha! And, from afar, he scenteth the battle, —the thunder of commanders and the war-cry.
26 ἐκ δὲ τῆς σῆς ἐπιστήμης ἕστηκεν ἱέραξ ἀναπετάσας τὰς πτέρυγας ἀκίνητος καθορῶν τὰ πρὸς νότον
Is it, by thine understanding, that the Bird of Passage betaketh him to his pinions? spreadeth out his wings to the south?
27 ἐπὶ δὲ σῷ προστάγματι ὑψοῦται ἀετός γὺψ δὲ ἐπὶ νοσσιᾶς αὐτοῦ καθεσθεὶς αὐλίζεται
Or, at thy bidding, that the Eagle mounteth, and that he setteth on high his nest?
28 ἐπ’ ἐξοχῇ πέτρας καὶ ἀποκρύφῳ
The crag, he inhabiteth, and so lodgeth himself, on the tooth of the crag, and high fort;
29 ἐκεῖσε ὢν ζητεῖ τὰ σῖτα πόρρωθεν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ σκοπεύουσιν
From thence, he searcheth out food, far away, his eyes do pierce;
30 νεοσσοὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ φύρονται ἐν αἵματι οὗ δ’ ἂν ὦσι τεθνεῶτες παραχρῆμα εὑρίσκονται
And, his young brood, suck up blood, and, where the slain are, there, is he.
