The Lord Answers Job
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Then the Lord q answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
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"Who is this that r darkens counsel by words s without knowledge?
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t Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
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"Where were you when I u laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
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Who determined its measurements - surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
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On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
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when the morning stars v sang together
and all w the sons of God x shouted for joy?
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"Or who y shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb,
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when I made clouds its garment
and z thick darkness its swaddling band,
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and prescribed a limits for it
and set bars and doors,
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and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your b proud waves be stayed'?
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"Have you c commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
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that it might take hold of d the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be e shaken out of it?
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It is changed like clay under the seal,
and its features stand out like a garment.
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From the wicked their f light is withheld,
and g their uplifted arm is broken.
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"Have you h entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
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Have i the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of j deep darkness?
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Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.
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"Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
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that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern k the paths to its home?
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You know, for l you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!
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"Have you entered m the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen m the storehouses of the hail,
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which I have reserved n for the time of trouble,
n for the day of battle and war?
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What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
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"Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain
and o a way for the thunderbolt,
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to bring rain on p a land where no man is,
on q the desert in which there is no man,
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to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground sprout with r grass?
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"Has s the rain a father,
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
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From whose womb did t the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to t the frost of heaven?
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The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is u frozen.
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"Can you bind the chains of v the Pleiades
or loose the cords of v Orion?
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Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
or can you guide v the Bear with its children?
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Do you know w the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?
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"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
that x a flood of waters may cover you?
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Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
and say to you, 'Here we are'?
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Who has y put wisdom in z the inward parts
or given understanding to the mind?
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Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
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when the dust runs into a mass
and a the clods stick fast together?
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"Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or b satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
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when they crouch in their c dens
or lie in wait d in their thicket?
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Who provides for e the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God for help,
and wander about for lack of food?
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"Do you know when f the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe g the calving of the does?
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Can you number the months that they fulfill,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
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when they h crouch, bring forth their offspring,
and are delivered of their young?
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Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
they go out and i do not return to them.
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"Who has let the wild donkey go free?
Who has j loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
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to whom I have given k the arid plain for his home
and l the salt land for his dwelling place?
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He scorns the tumult of the city;
he hears not the shouts of the driver.
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He ranges the mountains as his pasture,
and he searches after every green thing.
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"Is m the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will he spend the night at your n manger?
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Can you bind m him in the furrow with ropes,
or will he harrow the valleys after you?
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Will you depend on him because his strength is great,
and will you leave to him your labor?
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Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
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"The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
but are they the pinions and plumage of love?
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For she leaves her eggs to the earth
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
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forgetting that a foot may crush them
and that the wild beast may trample them.
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She o deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
though her p labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
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because God has made her forget wisdom
and q given her no share in understanding.
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When she rouses herself to flee,
she laughs at the horse and his rider.
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"Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
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Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic r snorting is terrifying.
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He paws in the valley and exults in his strength;
he s goes out to meet the weapons.
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He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not turn back from the sword.
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Upon him rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
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With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;
he cannot stand still at t the sound of the trumpet.
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When the trumpet sounds, he says 'Aha!'
He smells the battle from afar,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
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"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
and spreads his wings toward the south?
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Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes his u nest on high?
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On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
on v the rocky crag and stronghold.
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From there he spies out the prey;
his eyes behold it from far away.
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His young ones suck up blood,
and w where the slain are, there is he."
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And the Lord x said to Job:
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"Shall a faultfinder y contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it."
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Cross References
Job 40:6
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
Job 13:22
Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and you reply to me.
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Cross References
Job 42:3
Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
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Cross References
Job 35:16
Job opens his mouth in empty talk; he multiplies words without knowledge.
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Cross References
1 Kings 18:46
And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
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Cross References
Psalms 104:5
He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.
Proverbs 30:4
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!
Isaiah 40:12 - 14
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
Proverbs 8:24 - 29
When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
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Cross References
Psalms 19:1 - 4
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
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Cross References
Job 1:6
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
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Cross References
Luke 2:13 - 14
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying.
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Cross References
Genesis 1:9
And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.
Psalms 33:7
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.
Psalms 104:8 - 9
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them.
Jeremiah 5:22
Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
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Cross References
Job 22:13
But you say, 'What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness?
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Cross References
Job 38:33
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?
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Cross References
Psalms 65:7
Who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
Psalms 89:9
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
Psalms 93:4
Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!
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Cross References
Psalms 65:8
So that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
Psalms 74:16
Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
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Cross References
Job 37:3
Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
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Cross References
Nehemiah 5:13
I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said "Amen" and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
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Cross References
Job 18:5
Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine.
Matthew 6:23
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Job 24:13 - 17
There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.
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Cross References
Psalms 10:15
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.
Psalms 37:17
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Ezekiel 30:21 - 22
Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, it has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword.
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Cross References
Psalms 77:19
Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
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Cross References
Psalms 9:13
Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death.
Psalms 107:18
They loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
Isaiah 38:10
I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
Matthew 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
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Cross References
Job 3:5
Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
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Cross References
Job 24:13
There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.
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Cross References
Job 15:7
Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills?
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Cross References
Psalms 135:7
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
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Cross References
Psalms 135:7
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
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Cross References
Joshua 10:11
And as they fled before Israel, while they were...
Isaiah 28:17
And I will make justice the line, and righteous...
Isaiah 30:30
And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to b...
Ezekiel 13:11
Say to those who smear it with whitewash that i...
Ezekiel 13:13
Therefore thus says the Lord God : I will make ...
Ezekiel 38:22
With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into...
Revelation 16:21
And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds ...
Job 37:13
Whether for correction or for his land or for l...
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Cross References
Joshua 10:11
And as they fled before Israel, while they were...
Isaiah 28:17
And I will make justice the line, and righteous...
Isaiah 30:30
And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to b...
Ezekiel 13:11
Say to those who smear it with whitewash that i...
Ezekiel 13:13
Therefore thus says the Lord God : I will make ...
Ezekiel 38:22
With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into...
Revelation 16:21
And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds ...
Job 37:13
Whether for correction or for his land or for l...
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Cross References
Job 28:26
When he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder.
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Cross References
Job 37:13
Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen.
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Cross References
Psalms 107:35
He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
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Cross References
Genesis 1:11
And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so.
2 Samuel 23:4
He dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
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Cross References
Psalms 147:8
He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
Jeremiah 14:22
Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.
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Cross References
Psalms 147:16 - 17
He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
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Cross References
Psalms 147:16 - 17
He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
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Cross References
Job 37:10
By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.
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Cross References
Job 9:9
Who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south.
Amos 5:8
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name.
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Cross References
Job 9:9
Who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south.
Amos 5:8
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name.
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Cross References
Job 38:31
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?
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Cross References
Jeremiah 31:35
Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the Lord of hosts is his name:
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Cross References
Job 22:11
Or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
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Cross References
Job 32:8
But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
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Cross References
Psalms 51:6
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
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Cross References
Job 21:33
The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all mankind follows after him, and those who go before him are innumerable.
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Cross References
Psalms 104:21
The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
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Cross References
Job 37:8
Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens.
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Cross References
Psalms 17:12
He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.
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Cross References
Psalms 147:9
He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
Luke 12:24
Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
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Cross References
1 Samuel 24:2
Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks.
Psalms 104:18
The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.
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Cross References
Psalms 29:9
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!
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Cross References
1 Samuel 4:19
Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.
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Cross References
Genesis 8:12
Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
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Cross References
Job 12:18
He looses the bonds of kings and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
Psalms 116:16
O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.
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Cross References
Job 24:5
Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poor go out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children.
Jeremiah 2:24
A wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her.
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Cross References
Psalms 107:34
A fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.
Jeremiah 17:6
He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
Deuteronomy 29:23
The whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath -
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Cross References
Numbers 23:22
God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
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Cross References
Proverbs 14:4
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
Isaiah 1:3
The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.
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Cross References
Job 39:9
Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your manger?
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Cross References
Lamentations 4:3
Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.
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Cross References
Isaiah 49:4
But I said, "I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.
Isaiah 65:23
They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them.
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Cross References
Job 35:11
Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?
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Cross References
Jeremiah 8:16
The snorting of their horses is heard from Dan; at the sound of the neighing of their stallions the whole land quakes. They come and devour the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 8:6
I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, 'What have I done?' Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 4:19
My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
Amos 3:6
Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?
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Cross References
Numbers 24:21
And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, "Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock.
Jeremiah 49:16
The horror you inspire has deceived you, and the pride of your heart, you who live in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as the eagle's, I will bring you down from there, declares the Lord.
Obadiah 1:4
Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.
Habakkuk 2:9
Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm!
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Cross References
1 Samuel 14:5
The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.
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Cross References
Matthew 24:28
Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
Luke 17:37
And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
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Cross References
Job 38:1
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
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Cross References
Job 33:13
Why do you contend against him, saying, 'He will answer none of man's words'?
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.