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