איוב 39

1 הֲיָדַעְתָּ עֵת לֶדֶת יַעֲלֵי־סָלַע חֹלֵל אַיָּלוֹת תִּשְׁמֹֽר׃

Do you know when the wild goats give birth? Have you watched the birth-pains of the deer?

2 תִּסְפֹּר יְרָחִים תְּמַלֶּאנָה וְיָדַעְתָּ עֵת לִדְתָּֽנָה׃

Do you know how many months they carry their young? Do you know the time when they give birth?

3 תִּכְרַעְנָה יַלְדֵיהֶן תְּפַלַּחְנָה חֶבְלֵיהֶם תְּשַׁלַּֽחְנָה׃

They crouch down in labor to deliver their offspring.

4 יַחְלְמוּ בְנֵיהֶם יִרְבּוּ בַבָּר יָצְאוּ וְלֹא־שָׁבוּ לָֽמוֹ׃

Their young grow strong in the open countryside; they leave and never return.

5 מִֽי־שִׁלַּח פֶּרֶא חָפְשִׁי וּמֹסְרוֹת עָרוֹד מִי פִתֵּֽחַ׃

Who gave the wild donkey its freedom? Who set it free from its bonds?

6 אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי עֲרָבָה בֵיתוֹ וּֽמִשְׁכְּנוֹתָיו מְלֵֽחָה׃

I have given it the wilderness as its home, the salt plains as a place to live.

7 יִשְׂחַק לַהֲמוֹן קִרְיָה תְּשֻׁאוֹת נוֹגֵשׂ לֹא יִשְׁמָֽע׃

It despises the noise of the city; it doesn't need to listen to the shouts of a driver.

8 יְתוּר הָרִים מִרְעֵהוּ וְאַחַר כָּל־יָרוֹק יִדְרֽוֹשׁ׃

It hunts in the mountains for pastureland, searching for all kinds of green plants to eat.

9 הֲיֹאבֶה רֵּים עָבְדֶךָ אִם־יָלִין עַל־אֲבוּסֶֽךָ׃

Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will it spend the night at your manger?

10 הֲ‍ֽתִקְשָׁר־רֵים בְּתֶלֶם עֲבֹתוֹ אִם־יְשַׂדֵּד עֲמָקִים אַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃

Can you tie a wild ox to a plow? Can you make it till your fields for you?

11 הֲֽתִבְטַח־בּוֹ כִּי־רַב כֹּחוֹ וְתַעֲזֹב אֵלָיו יְגִיעֶֽךָ׃

Because it's so powerful can you trust it? Can you depend on it to do your heavy work for you?

12 הֲתַאֲמִין בּוֹ כִּי־ישוב יָשִׁיב זַרְעֶךָ וְֽגָרְנְךָ יֶאֱסֹֽף׃

Are you sure it will gather your grain and bring it to your threshing floor?

13 כְּנַף־רְנָנִים נֶעֱלָסָה אִם־אֶבְרָה חֲסִידָה וְנֹצָֽה׃

The ostrich proudly flaps her wings, but they are nothing like the flight feathers of the stork.

14 כִּֽי־תַעֲזֹב לָאָרֶץ בֵּצֶיהָ וְֽעַל־עָפָר תְּחַמֵּֽם׃

The ostrich abandons her eggs on the ground, leaving them to be warmed in the dust.

15 וַתִּשְׁכַּח כִּי־רֶגֶל תְּזוּרֶהָ וְחַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה תְּדוּשֶֽׁהָ׃

She doesn't think that they can be crushed underfoot, trampled by a wild animal.

16 הִקְשִׁיחַ בָּנֶיהָ לְּלֹא־לָהּ לְרִיק יְגִיעָהּ בְּלִי־פָֽחַד׃

She is tough towards her young, acting as if they didn't belong to her. She doesn't care that all her work was for nothing.

17 כִּֽי־הִשָּׁהּ אֱלוֹהַּ חָכְמָה וְלֹא־חָלַק לָהּ בַּבִּינָֽה׃

For I, God, made her forget wisdom—she didn't get her share of intelligence.

18 כָּעֵת בַּמָּרוֹם תַּמְרִיא תִּֽשְׂחַק לַסּוּס וּלְרֹֽכְבֽוֹ׃

But when she needs to, she can jump up and run, mocking a horse and its rider with her speed.

19 הֲתִתֵּן לַסּוּס גְּבוּרָה הֲתַלְבִּישׁ צַוָּארוֹ רַעְמָֽה׃

Did you give the horse its strength? Did you place a mane upon its neck?

20 הְֽתַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ כָּאַרְבֶּה הוֹד נַחְרוֹ אֵימָֽה׃

Did you make it able to jump like a locust? Its loud snorting is terrifying!

21 יַחְפְּרוּ בָעֵמֶק וְיָשִׂישׂ בְּכֹחַ יֵצֵא לִקְרַאת־נָֽשֶׁק׃

It paws at the ground, rearing up with power as it charges into battle.

22 יִשְׂחַק לְפַחַד וְלֹא יֵחָת וְלֹֽא־יָשׁוּב מִפְּנֵי־חָֽרֶב׃

It laughs at fear; it is not frightened at all.

23 עָלָיו תִּרְנֶה אַשְׁפָּה לַהַב חֲנִית וְכִידֽוֹן׃

The quiver full of arrows rattles against it; the spear and the javelin flash in the sunlight.

24 בְּרַעַשׁ וְרֹגֶז יְגַמֶּא־אָרֶץ וְלֹֽא־יַאֲמִין כִּי־קוֹל שׁוֹפָֽר׃

Shaking with rage it gallops across the ground; it cannot remain still when the trumpet sounds.

25 בְּדֵי שֹׁפָר ׀ יֹאמַר הֶאָח וּֽמֵרָחוֹק יָרִיחַ מִלְחָמָה רַעַם שָׂרִים וּתְרוּעָֽה׃

Whenever the trumpet calls, it is ready; he senses the sound of battle from far away, he hears the commanders shouting.

26 הֲ‍ֽמִבִּינָתְךָ יַֽאֲבֶר־נֵץ יִפְרֹשׂ כנפו כְּנָפָיו לְתֵימָֽן׃

Is it through your wisdom that the hawk soars, spreading its wings towards the south?

27 אִם־עַל־פִּיךָ יַגְבִּיהַּ נָשֶׁר וְכִי יָרִים קִנּֽוֹ׃

Do you command the eagle to fly high and make its nest in the summits of the mountains?

28 סֶלַע יִשְׁכֹּן וְיִתְלֹנָן עַֽל־שֶׁן־סֶלַע וּמְצוּדָֽה׃

It lives among the cliffs, and roosts on a remote rocky crag.

29 מִשָּׁם חָֽפַר־אֹכֶל לְמֵרָחוֹק עֵינָיו יַבִּֽיטוּ׃

From there it spies its prey from far away, fixing its gaze on its victim. Its chicks eagerly swallow blood.

30 ואפרחו וְאֶפְרֹחָיו יְעַלְעוּ־דָם וּבַאֲשֶׁר חֲלָלִים שָׁם הֽוּא׃

Where the carcasses are, that's where birds of prey are found.”