איוב 38
| וַיַּֽעַן־יְהוָה אֶת־אִיּוֹב מנ הסערה מִן ׀ הַסְּעָרָה וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ | 1 |
Then Yahweh called to Job out of a fierce storm and said,
| מִי זֶה ׀ מַחְשִׁיךְ עֵצָה בְמִלִּין בְּֽלִי־דָֽעַת׃ | 2 |
“Who is this who brings darkness to plans by means of words without knowledge?
| אֱזָר־נָא כְגֶבֶר חֲלָצֶיךָ וְאֶשְׁאָלְךָ וְהוֹדִיעֵֽנִי׃ | 3 |
Now gird up your loins like a man for I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.
| אֵיפֹה הָיִיתָ בְּיָסְדִי־אָרֶץ הַגֵּד אִם־יָדַעְתָּ בִינָֽה׃ | 4 |
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations? Tell me, if you have so much understanding.
| מִי־שָׂם מְמַדֶּיהָ כִּי תֵדָע אוֹ מִֽי־נָטָה עָלֶיהָ קָּֽו׃ | 5 |
Who determined its dimensions? Tell me, if you know. Who stretched the measuring line over it?
| עַל־מָה אֲדָנֶיהָ הָטְבָּעוּ אוֹ מִֽי־יָרָה אֶבֶן פִּנָּתָֽהּ׃ | 6 |
On what were its foundations laid? Who laid its cornerstone
| בְּרָן־יַחַד כּוֹכְבֵי בֹקֶר וַיָּרִיעוּ כָּל־בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 7 |
when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
| וַיָּסֶךְ בִּדְלָתַיִם יָם בְּגִיחוֹ מֵרֶחֶם יֵצֵֽא׃ | 8 |
Who shut up the sea with doors when it burst out, as if it had come out of the womb—
| בְּשׂוּמִי עָנָן לְבֻשׁוֹ וַעֲרָפֶל חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃ | 9 |
when I made clouds its clothing, and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
| וָאֶשְׁבֹּר עָלָיו חֻקִּי וָֽאָשִׂים בְּרִיחַ וּדְלָתָֽיִם׃ | 10 |
That was when I marked out for the sea my boundary, and when I placed its bars and doors,
| וָאֹמַר עַד־פֹּה תָבוֹא וְלֹא תֹסִיף וּפֹא־יָשִׁית בִּגְאוֹן גַּלֶּֽיךָ׃ | 11 |
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.'
| הְֽמִיָּמֶיךָ צִוִּיתָ בֹּקֶר ידעתה שחר יִדַּעְתָּה הַשַּׁחַר מְקֹמֽוֹ׃ | 12 |
Have you given orders to the morning, or caused the dawn to know its place,
| לֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ וְיִנָּעֲרוּ רְשָׁעִים מִמֶּֽנָּה׃ | 13 |
so that it might take hold of the edges of the earth and shake the wicked out of it?
| תִּתְהַפֵּךְ כְּחֹמֶר חוֹתָם וְיִֽתְיַצְּבוּ כְּמוֹ לְבֽוּשׁ׃ | 14 |
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.
| וְיִמָּנַע מֵרְשָׁעִים אוֹרָם וּזְרוֹעַ רָמָה תִּשָּׁבֵֽר׃ | 15 |
From wicked people their 'light' is taken away; their uplifted arm is broken.
| הֲבָאתָ עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָם וּבְחֵקֶר תְּהוֹם הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ׃ | 16 |
Have you gone to the sources of the waters of the sea? Have you walked in the lowest parts of the deep?
| הֲנִגְלוּ לְךָ שַׁעֲרֵי־מָוֶת וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת תִּרְאֶֽה׃ | 17 |
Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
| הִתְבֹּנַנְתָּ עַד־רַחֲבֵי־אָרֶץ הַגֵּד אִם־יָדַעְתָּ כֻלָּֽהּ׃ | 18 |
Have you understood the earth in its expanse? Tell me, if you know it all.
| אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ יִשְׁכָּן־אוֹר וְחֹשֶׁךְ אֵי־זֶה מְקֹמֽוֹ׃ | 19 |
Where is the way to the resting place of light— as for darkness, where is its place?
| כִּי תִקָּחֶנּוּ אֶל־גְּבוּלוֹ וְכִֽי־תָבִין נְתִיבוֹת בֵּיתֽוֹ׃ | 20 |
Can you lead light and darkness to their places of work? Can you find the way back to their houses for them?
| יָדַעְתָּ כִּי־אָז תִּוָּלֵד וּמִסְפַּר יָמֶיךָ רַבִּֽים׃ | 21 |
Undoubtedly you know, for you were born then; the number of your days is so large!
| הֲבָאתָ אֶל־אֹצְרוֹת שָׁלֶג וְאֹצְרוֹת בָּרָד תִּרְאֶֽה׃ | 22 |
Have you entered the storehouses for the snow, or have you seen the storehouses for the hail,
| אֲשֶׁר־חָשַׂכְתִּי לְעֶת־צָר לְיוֹם קְרָב וּמִלְחָמָֽה׃ | 23 |
these things that I have kept for times of trouble, for days of battle and war?
| אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵחָלֶק אוֹר יָפֵץ קָדִים עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃ | 24 |
What is the path to where the lightning bolts are distributed or to where the winds are scattered from the east over the earth?
| מִֽי־פִלַּג לַשֶּׁטֶף תְּעָלָה וְדֶרֶךְ לַחֲזִיז קֹלֽוֹת׃ | 25 |
Who has created the channels for the floods of rain, or who has made a path for the thunder,
| לְהַמְטִיר עַל־אֶרֶץ לֹא־אִישׁ מִדְבָּר לֹא־אָדָם בּֽוֹ׃ | 26 |
to cause it to rain on lands where no person exists, and on the wilderness, in which there is no one,
| לְהַשְׂבִּיעַ שֹׁאָה וּמְשֹׁאָה וּלְהַצְמִיחַ מֹצָא דֶֽשֶׁא׃ | 27 |
to satisfy the devastated and desolate places, and to make the ground sprout with grass?
| הֲיֵשׁ־לַמָּטָר אָב אוֹ מִי־הוֹלִיד אֶגְלֵי־טָֽל׃ | 28 |
Does the rain have a father, or, who fathers the drops of dew?
| מִבֶּטֶן מִי יָצָא הַקָּרַח וּכְפֹר שָׁמַיִם מִי יְלָדֽוֹ׃ | 29 |
Out of whose womb did the ice come? Who bore the white frost out of the sky?
| כָּאֶבֶן מַיִם יִתְחַבָּאוּ וּפְנֵי תְהוֹם יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ׃ | 30 |
The waters hide themselves and become like stone; the surface of the deep becomes frozen.
| הַֽתְקַשֵּׁר מַעֲדַנּוֹת כִּימָה אֽוֹ־מֹשְׁכוֹת כְּסִיל תְּפַתֵּֽחַ׃ | 31 |
Can you fasten chains on the Pleiades, or undo the cords of Orion?
| הֲתֹצִיא מַזָּרוֹת בְּעִתּוֹ וְעַיִשׁ עַל־בָּנֶיהָ תַנְחֵֽם׃ | 32 |
Can you lead the constellations to appear at their proper times? Can you guide the Bear with its children?
| הֲיָדַעְתָּ חֻקּוֹת שָׁמָיִם אִם־תָּשִׂים מִשְׁטָרוֹ בָאָֽרֶץ׃ | 33 |
Do you know the regulations of the sky? Could you set in place the sky's rule over the earth?
| הֲתָרִים לָעָב קוֹלֶךָ וְֽשִׁפְעַת־מַיִם תְּכַסֶּֽךָּ׃ | 34 |
Can you raise your voice up to the clouds, so that an abundance of rainwater may cover you?
| הֽ͏ַתְשַׁלַּח בְּרָקִים וְיֵלֵכוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ לְךָ הִנֵּֽנוּ׃ | 35 |
Can you send out bolts of lightning that they may go out, that they say to you, 'Here we are'?
| מִי־שָׁת בַּטֻּחוֹת חָכְמָה אוֹ מִֽי־נָתַן לַשֶּׂכְוִי בִינָֽה׃ | 36 |
Who has put wisdom in the clouds or has given understanding to the mists?
| מִֽי־יְסַפֵּר שְׁחָקִים בְּחָכְמָה וְנִבְלֵי שָׁמַיִם מִי יַשְׁכִּֽיב׃ | 37 |
Who can number the clouds by his skill? Who can pour out the water skins of the sky
| בְּצֶקֶת עָפָר לַמּוּצָק וּרְגָבִים יְדֻבָּֽקוּ׃ | 38 |
when the dust runs into a hard mass and the clods of earth clump tightly together?
| הֲתָצוּד לְלָבִיא טָרֶף וְחַיַּת כְּפִירִים תְּמַלֵּֽא׃ | 39 |
Can you hunt down a victim for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of her young lion cubs
| כִּי־יָשֹׁחוּ בַמְּעוֹנוֹת יֵשְׁבוּ בַסֻּכָּה לְמוֹ־אָֽרֶב׃ | 40 |
when they are crouching in their dens and sheltering in hiding to lie in wait?
| מִי יָכִין לָעֹרֵב צֵידוֹ כִּֽי־ילדו יְלָדָיו אֶל־אֵל יְשַׁוֵּעוּ יִתְעוּ לִבְלִי־אֹֽכֶל׃ | 41 |
Who provides victims for the ravens when their young ones cry out to God and stagger about for lack of food?
