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


38:1  Then the Lord answered Job from the storm. He said:
38:2  “Who is this that makes my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?
38:3  Be strong like a man. I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.
38:4  Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
38:5  Who marked off how big it should be? Surely you know!
38:6  What were the earth’s foundations set on? Or who put its cornerstone in place?
38:7  Who did all this while the morning stars sang together? Who did this while the angels shouted with joy?
38:8  “Who shut the doors to keep the sea in when it broke through and was born?
38:9  This was when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea. And I wrapped the sea in dark clouds.
38:10  It was when I put limits on the sea. And I put its doors and bars in place.
38:11  It was when I said to the sea, ‘You may come this far, but no farther. This is where your proud waves must stop.’
38:12  “Have you ever given orders for morning to begin? Or have you shown the dawn where its place was?
38:13  The dawn takes hold of earth by its edges and shakes evil people out of it.
38:14  At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal. The hills and valleys stand out like folds in a coat.
38:15  Light is not given to evil people. Their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken.
38:16  “Have you ever gone to where the sea begins? Or have you walked in the valleys under the sea?
38:17  Have the gates of death been opened to you? Or have you seen the gates of the deep darkness?
38:18  Do you understand the great width of the earth? Tell me, if you know all these things.
38:19  “What is the path to light’s home? And where does darkness live?
38:20  Can you take them to their places? Do you know the way to their homes?
38:21  Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened! Have you lived that many years?
38:22  “Have you ever gone into the storehouse where snow is kept? Or have you seen the storehouses for hail?
38:23  I save the snow and hail for times of trouble. I save them for days of war and battle.
38:24  How do you get to the place where light comes from? Or where is the place from which the east winds are scattered over the earth?
38:25  Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains? And who sets a path for the thunderstorm to follow?
38:26  Who waters the land where no one lives? Who waters the desert that has no one in it?
38:27  Who sends rain to satisfy the empty land so the grass begins to grow?
38:28  Does the rain have a father? Who is father to the drops of dew?
38:29  Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the sky?
38:30  The waters become hard as stone. Even the surface of the deep ocean is frozen.
38:31  “Can you tie up the stars of the Pleiades? Can you loosen the ropes of the stars in Orion?
38:32  Can you bring out the stars at the right times? Or can you lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs?
38:33  Do you know the laws of the sky? Can you understand their rule over the earth?
38:34  “Can you shout an order to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?
38:35  Can you send lightning bolts on their way? Do the flashes of lightning report to you and say, ‘Here we are’?
38:36  Who put wisdom inside the mind? Or who put understanding in the heart?
38:37  Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can pour water from the jars of heaven?
38:38  Who can do this when the dust becomes hard and the clumps of dirt stick together?
38:39  “Do you hunt food for the female lion to satisfy the hunger of the young lions?
38:40  Do you hunt for them while they lie in their dens or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?
38:41  Who gives food to the birds when their young cry out to God? And who gives them food when they wander about without any?