Job 38

God Speaks Now to Job

1 Then the Lord ^aanswered Job from the whirlwind and said,

2 “Who is this who ^bdarkens the divine plan
By words without knowledge?
3 “Now ▼

▼I.e., as if for battle

, ^dtighten the belt on your waist like a man,
And ^eI shall ask you, and you inform Me!
4 “Where were you ^fwhen I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you ▼

▼Lit know understanding

have understanding,
5 Who set its ^hmeasurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the measuring line over it?
6 “On what ⁱwere its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the ^jsons of God shouted for joy?

8 “Or who ^kenclosed the sea with doors
When it went out from the womb, bursting forth;
9 When I made a cloud its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling bands,
10 And I ▼

▼Lit broke My decree on it

, ^mplaced boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?

God’s Mighty Power

12 “Have you ▼

▼Lit from your days commanded

ever in your life commanded the morning,
And made the dawn know its place,
13 So that it would take hold of ^othe ends of the earth,
And ^pthe wicked would be shaken off from it?
14 “It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand out like a garment.
15 “ ^qTheir light is withheld from the wicked,
And the ^ruplifted arm is broken.

16 “Have you entered ^sthe springs of the sea,
And walked ▼

▼Or in search of the deep

in the depth of the ocean?
17 “Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
And have you seen the gates of ^udeep darkness?
18 “Have you understood the ▼

▼Or width

expanse of ^wthe earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you would take it to ^xits territory,
And discern the paths to its ▼

▼Lit house

home?
21 “You know, for ^zyou were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses ^aaof the snow,
And have you seen the storehouses of the ^abhail,
23 Which I have reserved for a time of distress,
For a day of war and battle?
24 “Where is the way that ^acthe light is divided,
And the east wind scattered on the earth?

25 “Who has split open a channel for the flood,
And a way for the thunderbolt,
26 To bring ^adrain on a land without ▼

▼Lit man

people,
On a desert without a person in it,
27 To ^afsatisfy the waste and desolate land,
And to make the ▼

▼Or growth

seeds of grass to sprout?
28 “Does ^ahthe rain have a father?
Or who has fathered the drops of dew?
29 “From whose womb has come the ^aiice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 “Water ▼

▼Lit hides itself like

becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.

31 “Can you tie up the chains of the ^akPleiades,
Or untie the cords of Orion?
32 “Can you bring out a ▼

▼Heb Mazzaroth

constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her ▼

▼Lit sons

satellites?
33 “Do you know the ^anordinances of the heavens,
Or do you establish their rule over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds,
So that an ^aoabundance of water will cover you?
35 “Can you ^apsend flashes of lightning, so that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 “Who has ^aqput wisdom in the innermost being,
Or given ^arunderstanding to the ▼

▼Or rooster

mind?
37 “Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
And ^atpour out the water jars of the heavens,
38 When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?

39 “Can you hunt the ^auprey for the lioness,
Or satisfy the appetite of young lions,
40 When they ^avcrouch in their hiding places,
And lie in wait in their lair?
41 “Who prepares ▼

▼Lit its feed

feed for ^axthe raven
When its young cry to God,
And wander about without food?