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38:1  Then the Lord spoke to Job from a whirlwind and said,
38:2  “Who is this ignorant person saying these foolish things?
38:3  Prepare yourself for an attack! Get ready to answer the questions I will ask you.
38:4  “Where were you when I made the earth? If you are so smart, answer me.
38:5  And who decided how big the earth should be? Who measured it with a measuring line?
38:6  What is the earth resting on? Who put the first stone in its place
38:7  when the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted with joy?
38:8  “Who closed the flood gates as the sea gushed from the womb?
38:9  Who covered it with clouds and wrapped it in darkness?
38:10  I set the limits for the sea and put it behind locked gates.
38:11  I said to the sea, ‘You can come this far, but no farther. This is where your proud waves will stop.’
38:12  “Did you ever in your life command the morning to begin or the day to dawn?
38:13  Did you ever tell the morning light to grab the earth and shake those who are evil out of their hiding places?
38:14  The morning light makes the hills and valleys easy to see. When the daylight comes to the earth, the shapes of these places stand out like the folds of a coat. They take shape like soft clay that is pressed with a stamp.
38:15  Evil people don’t like the daylight. When it shines bright, it keeps them from doing the bad things they do.
38:16  “Have you ever gone to the deepest parts of the sea? Have you ever walked on the ocean bottom?
38:17  Has anyone shown you the gates to the world of the dead? Have you ever seen those gates that lead to the dark place of death?
38:18  Do you really understand how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all this.
38:19  “Where does light come from? Where does darkness come from?
38:20  Can you take them back to where they belong? Do you know how to get there?
38:21  Surely you know these things, since you are so old and wise. You were alive when I made them, weren’t you?
38:22  “Have you ever gone into the storerooms where I keep the snow and the hail?
38:23  I save them there for times of trouble, for the times of war and battle.
38:24  Have you ever gone to the place where the sun comes up, where it makes the east wind blow all over the earth?
38:25  Who dug ditches in the sky for the heavy rain? Who made a path for the thunderstorm?
38:26  Who makes it rain even in desert places where no one lives?
38:27  The rain gives that dry empty land all the water it needs, and grass begins to grow.
38:28  Does the rain have a father? Who produces the drops of dew?
38:29  Does ice have a mother? Who gives birth to the frost?
38:30  That’s when the water freezes as hard as a rock. Even the deep sea freezes over!
38:31  “Can you tie up the Pleiades? Can you unfasten the belt of Orion?
38:32  Can you bring out the other constellations at the right times? Can you lead out the Bear with its cubs?
38:33  Do you know the laws that control the sky? Can you put each star in its place above the earth?
38:34  “Can you shout at the clouds and command them to cover you with rain?
38:35  Can you give a command to the lightning? Will it come to you and say, ‘Here we are; what do you want, sir?’ Will it go wherever you want it to go?
38:36  “Who makes people wise? Who puts wisdom deep inside them?
38:37  Who is wise enough to count the clouds and tip them over to pour out their rain?
38:38  The rain makes the dust become mud, and the clumps of dirt stick together.
38:39  “Do you find food for the lions? Do you feed their hungry babies?
38:40  No, they hide in their caves or wait in the grass, ready to attack their prey.
38:41  Who feeds the ravens when their babies cry out to God and wander around without food?