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The Lord Speaks: Who Is Able to Challenge Me?

38 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the storm.

“Who is this that belittles my advice
    with words that do not show any knowledge about it?
Brace yourself like a man!
    I will ask you, and you will teach me.

The Lord Speaks about Creation

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me if you have such insight.
Who determined its dimensions?
    Certainly, you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line over it?
On what were its footings sunk?
    Who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
    and all the sons of Elohim shouted for joy?

“Who shut the sea behind gates
    when it burst through and came out of the womb,
when I clothed it with clouds
    and wrapped it up in dark clouds,
10 when I set a limit for it
    and put up bars and gates,
11 when I said, ‘You may come this far but no farther.
    Here your proud waves will stop’?

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning
    or assigned a place for the dawn
13 so that it could grab the earth by its edges
    and shake wicked people out of it?
14 The earth changes like clay stamped by a seal,
    and parts of it stand out like folds in clothing.
15 Wicked people are deprived of their light,
    and an arm raised in victory is broken.
16 Have you gone to the springs in the sea
    or walked through the valleys of the ocean depths?
17 Have the gateways to death been revealed to you,
    or have you seen the gateways to total darkness?
18 Have you even considered how wide the earth is?
    Tell me, if you know all of this!

19 “What is the way to the place where light lives?
    Where is the home of darkness
20 so that you may lead it to its territory,
    so that you may know the path to its home?
21 You must know because you were born then
    and have lived such a long time!
22 Have you been to the warehouses where snow is stored
    or seen the warehouses for hail
23 that I have stored up for the time of trouble,
    for the day of battle and war?
24 Which is the way to the place where light is scattered
    and the east wind is spread across the earth?

25 “Who made a channel for the flooding rains
    and a path for the thunderstorms
26 to bring rain on a land where no one lives,
    on a desert where there are no humans,
27 to saturate the desolate wasteland
    in order to make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father?
    Who gave birth to the dewdrops?
29 From whose womb came the ice,
    and who has given birth to the frost in the air?
30 The water hardens like a stone,
    and the surface of the ocean freezes over.

31 “Can you connect the chains of the constellation Pleiades
    or untie the ropes of Orion?
32 Can you bring out the constellations at the right time
    or guide Ursa Major with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the sky
    or make them rule the earth?
34 Can you call to the clouds
    and have a flood of water cover you?
35 Can you send lightning flashes so that they may go and say to you,
    ‘Here we are’?
36 Who put wisdom in the heart
    or gave understanding to the mind?[a]
37 Who is wise enough to count the clouds
    or pour out the water jars of heaven
38 when the dirt hardens into clumps
    and the soil clings together?

The Lioness

39 “Can you hunt prey for the lioness
    and satisfy the hunger of her cubs
40 as they crouch in their dens
    and lie ready to ambush from their lairs?

The Crow

41 “Who provides food for the crow
    when its young ones cry to El
        and wander around in need of food?

Footnotes

  1. Job 38:36 Hebrew meaning uncertain.

The Lord Speaks

38 Then the Lord spoke to Job(A) out of the storm.(B) He said:

“Who is this that obscures my plans(C)
    with words without knowledge?(D)
Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.(E)

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?(F)
    Tell me, if you understand.(G)
Who marked off its dimensions?(H) Surely you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line(I) across it?
On what were its footings set,(J)
    or who laid its cornerstone(K)
while the morning stars(L) sang together(M)
    and all the angels[a](N) shouted for joy?(O)

“Who shut up the sea behind doors(P)
    when it burst forth from the womb,(Q)
when I made the clouds its garment
    and wrapped it in thick darkness,(R)
10 when I fixed limits for it(S)
    and set its doors and bars in place,(T)
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;(U)
    here is where your proud waves halt’?(V)

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,(W)
    or shown the dawn its place,(X)
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
    and shake the wicked(Y) out of it?(Z)
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;(AA)
    its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,(AB)
    and their upraised arm is broken.(AC)

16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
    or walked in the recesses of the deep?(AD)
17 Have the gates of death(AE) been shown to you?
    Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?(AF)
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?(AG)
    Tell me, if you know all this.(AH)

19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
    And where does darkness reside?(AI)
20 Can you take them to their places?
    Do you know the paths(AJ) to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!(AK)
    You have lived so many years!

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow(AL)
    or seen the storehouses(AM) of the hail,(AN)
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,(AO)
    for days of war and battle?(AP)
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,(AQ)
    or the place where the east winds(AR) are scattered over the earth?(AS)
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
    and a path for the thunderstorm,(AT)
26 to water(AU) a land where no one lives,
    an uninhabited desert,(AV)
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
    and make it sprout with grass?(AW)
28 Does the rain have a father?(AX)
    Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
    Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens(AY)
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
    when the surface of the deep is frozen?(AZ)

31 “Can you bind the chains[b] of the Pleiades?
    Can you loosen Orion’s belt?(BA)
32 Can you bring forth the constellations(BB) in their seasons[c]
    or lead out the Bear[d] with its cubs?(BC)
33 Do you know the laws(BD) of the heavens?(BE)
    Can you set up God’s[e] dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
    and cover yourself with a flood of water?(BF)
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?(BG)
    Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[f](BH)
    or gives the rooster understanding?[g](BI)
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
    Who can tip over the water jars(BJ) of the heavens(BK)
38 when the dust becomes hard(BL)
    and the clods of earth stick together?(BM)

39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
    and satisfy the hunger of the lions(BN)
40 when they crouch in their dens(BO)
    or lie in wait in a thicket?(BP)
41 Who provides food(BQ) for the raven(BR)
    when its young cry out to God
    and wander about for lack of food?(BS)

Footnotes

  1. Job 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God
  2. Job 38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty
  3. Job 38:32 Or the morning star in its season
  4. Job 38:32 Or out Leo
  5. Job 38:33 Or their
  6. Job 38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
  7. Job 38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.