Home Master Index
←Prev   Job 38 as rendered by/in  Next→ 


38:1  Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
38:2  “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
38:3  Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
38:4  “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
38:5  Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
38:6  To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,
38:7  When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
38:8  “Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
38:9  When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band;
38:10  When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors;
38:11  When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’
38:12  “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place,
38:13  That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
38:14  It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment.
38:15  From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken.
38:16  “Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?
38:17  Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
38:18  Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.
38:19  “Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,
38:20  That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home?
38:21  Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great?
38:22  “Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
38:23  Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?
38:24  By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
38:25  “Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt,
38:26  To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man;
38:27  To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
38:28  Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
38:29  From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
38:30  The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen.
38:31  “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion?
38:32  Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
38:33  Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?
38:34  “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you?
38:35  Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
38:36  Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?
38:37  Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38:38  When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together?
38:39  “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
38:40  When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
38:41  Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?