איוב 38

1 וַיַּֽעַן־יְהֹוָה אֶת־אִיּוֹב (מנהסערה) [מִן ׀ הַסְּעָרָה] וַיֹּאמַֽר׃

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

2 מִי זֶה ׀ מַחְשִׁיךְ עֵצָה בְמִלִּין בְּֽלִי־דָֽעַת׃

“Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge?

3 אֱזׇר־נָא כְגֶבֶר חֲלָצֶיךָ וְאֶשְׁאָלְךָ וְהוֹדִיעֵֽנִי׃

Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me.

4 אֵיפֹה הָיִיתָ בְּיׇסְדִי־אָרֶץ הַגֵּד אִם־יָדַעְתָּ בִינָֽה׃

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

5 מִי־שָׂם מְמַדֶּיהָ כִּי תֵדָע אוֹ מִֽי־נָטָה עָלֶיהָ קָּֽו׃

Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?

6 עַל־מָה אֲדָנֶיהָ הׇטְבָּעוּ אוֹ מִי־יָרָה אֶבֶן פִּנָּתָֽהּ׃

On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone,

7 בְּרׇן־יַחַד כּוֹכְבֵי בֹקֶר וַיָּרִיעוּ כׇּל־בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים׃

while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8 וַיָּסֶךְ בִּדְלָתַיִם יָם בְּגִיחוֹ מֵרֶחֶם יֵצֵֽא׃

Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,

9 בְּשׂוּמִי עָנָן לְבֻשׁוֹ וַעֲרָפֶל חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃

when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket,

10 וָאֶשְׁבֹּר עָלָיו חֻקִּי וָאָשִׂים בְּרִיחַ וּדְלָתָֽיִם׃

when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors,

11 וָאֹמַר עַד־פֹּה תָבוֹא וְלֹא תֹסִיף וּפֹא־יָשִׁית בִּגְאוֹן גַּלֶּֽיךָ׃

and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?

12 הֲֽמִיָּמֶיךָ צִוִּיתָ בֹּקֶר (ידעתה שחר) [יִדַּעְתָּ הַשַּׁחַר] מְקֹמֽוֹ׃

In your days, have you commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place,

13 לֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ וְיִנָּעֲרוּ רְשָׁ עִ ים מִמֶּֽנָּה׃

that it might spread to the ends of the earth and shake the wicked out of it?

14 תִּתְהַפֵּךְ כְּחֹמֶר חוֹתָם וְיִֽתְיַצְּבוּ כְּמוֹ לְבֽוּשׁ׃

The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.

15 וְיִמָּנַע מֵרְשָׁ עִ ים אוֹרָם וּזְרוֹעַ רָמָה תִּשָּׁבֵֽר׃

Light is withheld from the wicked, and their upraised arm is broken.

16 הֲבָאתָ עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָם וּבְחֵקֶר תְּהוֹם הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ׃

Have you journeyed to the vents of the sea or walked in the trenches of the deep?

17 הֲנִגְלוּ לְךָ שַׁעֲרֵי־מָוֶת וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת תִּרְאֶֽה׃

Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

18 הִתְבֹּנַנְתָּ עַד־רַחֲבֵי־אָרֶץ הַגֵּד אִם־יָדַעְתָּ כֻלָּֽהּ׃

Have you surveyed the extent of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

19 אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ יִשְׁכׇּן־אוֹר וְחֹשֶׁךְ אֵי־זֶה מְקֹמֽוֹ׃

Where is the way to the home of light? Do you know where darkness resides,

20 כִּי תִקָּחֶנּוּ אֶל־גְּבוּלוֹ וְכִי־תָבִין נְתִיבוֹת בֵּיתֽוֹ׃

so you can lead it back to its border? Do you know the paths to its home?

21 יָדַעְתָּ כִּי־אָז תִּוָּלֵד וּמִסְפַּר יָמֶיךָ רַבִּֽים׃

Surely you know, for you were already born! And the number of your days is great!

22 הֲבָאתָ אֶל־אֹצְרוֹת שָׁלֶג וְאוֹצְרוֹת בָּרָד תִּרְאֶֽה׃

Have you entered the storehouses of snow or observed the storehouses of hail,

23 אֲשֶׁר־חָשַׂכְתִּי לְעֶת־צָר לְיוֹם קְרָב וּמִלְחָמָֽה׃

which I hold in reserve for times of trouble, for the day of war and battle?

24 אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵחָלֶק אוֹר יָפֵץ קָדִים עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃

In which direction is the lightning dispersed, or the east wind scattered over the earth?

25 מִֽי־פִלַּג לַשֶּׁטֶף תְּעָלָה וְדֶרֶךְ לַחֲזִיז קֹלֽוֹת׃

Who cuts a channel for the flood or clears a path for the thunderbolt,

26 לְהַמְטִיר עַל־אֶרֶץ לֹא־אִישׁ מִדְבָּר לֹא־אָדָם בּֽוֹ׃

to bring rain on a barren land, on a desert where no man lives,

27 לְהַשְׂבִּיעַ שֹׁאָה וּמְשֹׁאָה וּלְהַצְמִיחַ מֹצָא דֶֽשֶׁא׃

to satisfy the parched wasteland and make it sprout with tender grass?

28 הֲיֵשׁ־לַמָּטָר אָב אוֹ מִי־הוֹלִיד אֶגְלֵי־טָֽל׃

Does the rain have a father? Who has begotten the drops of dew?

29 מִבֶּטֶן מִי יָצָא הַקָּרַח וּכְפֹר שָׁמַיִם מִי יְלָדֽוֹ׃

From whose womb does the ice emerge? Who gives birth to the frost from heaven,

30 כָּאֶבֶן מַיִם יִתְחַבָּאוּ וּפְנֵי תְהוֹם יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ׃

when the waters become hard as stone and the surface of the deep is frozen?

31 הַֽתְקַשֵּׁר מַעֲדַנּוֹת כִּימָה אֽוֹ־מֹשְׁכוֹת כְּסִיל תְּפַתֵּֽחַ׃

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loosen the belt of Orion?

32 הֲתֹצִיא מַזָּרוֹת בְּעִתּוֹ וְעַיִשׁ עַל־בָּנֶיהָ תַנְחֵֽם׃

Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear and her cubs?

33 הֲיָדַעְתָּ חֻקּוֹת שָׁמָיִם אִם־תָּשִׂים מִשְׁטָרוֹ בָאָֽרֶץ׃

Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

34 הֲתָרִים לָעָב קוֹלֶךָ וְֽשִׁפְעַת־מַיִם תְּכַסֶּֽךָּ׃

Can you command the clouds so that a flood of water covers you?

35 הַֽתְשַׁלַּח בְּרָקִים וְיֵלֵכוּ וְיֹֽאמְרוּ לְךָ הִנֵּֽנוּ׃

Can you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

36 מִי־שָׁת בַּטֻּחוֹת חׇכְמָה אוֹ מִֽי־נָתַן לַשֶּׂכְוִי בִינָֽה׃

Who has put wisdom in the heart or given understanding to the mind?

37 מִֽי־יְסַפֵּר שְׁחָקִים בְּחׇכְמָה וְנִבְלֵי שָׁמַיִם מִי יַשְׁכִּֽיב׃

Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens

38 בְּצֶקֶת עָפָר לַמּוּצָק וּרְגָבִים יְדֻבָּֽקוּ׃

when the dust hardens into a mass and the clods of earth stick together?

39 הֲתָצוּד לְלָבִיא טָרֶף וְחַיַּת כְּפִירִים תְּמַלֵּֽא׃

Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions

40 כִּֽי־יָשֹׁחוּ בַמְּעוֹנוֹת יֵֽשְׁבוּ בַסֻּכָּה לְמוֹ־אָֽרֶב׃

when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait in the thicket?

41 מִי יָכִין לָעֹרֵב צֵידוֹ כִּֽי־יְלָדָו אֶל־אֵל יְשַׁוֵּעוּ יִתְעוּ לִבְלִי־אֹֽכֶל׃

Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God as they wander about for lack of food?