Job 39–40
39 “Do you know when the mountain goatsp give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?q
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?r
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
5 “Who let the wild donkeys go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wastelandt as its home,
the salt flatsu as its habitat.v
7 It laughsw at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.x
8 It ranges the hillsy for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.
9 “Will the wild oxz consent to serve you?a
Will it stay by your mangerb at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?c
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?d
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.e
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.f
16 She treats her young harshly,g as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.h
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughsi at horse and rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strengthj
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,k
striking terrorl with its proud snorting?m
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,n
and charges into the fray.o
22 It laughsp at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiverq rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spearr and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.s
25 At the blast of the trumpett it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.u
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?v
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?w
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky cragx is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;y
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”z
40 The Lord said to Job:a
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almightyb correct him?c
Let him who accuses God answer him!”d
4 “I am unworthye—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.f
5 I spoke once, but I have no answerg—
twice, but I will say no more.”h
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:i
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.j
8 “Would you discredit my justice?k
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?l
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,m
and can your voicen thunder like his?o
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.p
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,q
look at all who are proud and bring them low,r
12 look at all who are prouds and humble them,t
crushu the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;v
shroud their faces in the grave.w
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.x
which I madey along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.z
16 What strengtha it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!b
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.c
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbsd like rods of iron.e
19 It ranks first among the works of God,f
yet its Makerg can approach it with his sword.h
20 The hills bring it their produce,i
and all the wild animals playj nearby.k
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reedsl in the marsh.m
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the streamn surround it.
23 A raging rivero does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordanp should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?q