1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Now gird up thy loins like a man; for I will enquire of thee, and answer thou me.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Cause me to know, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who ordered its dimensions, if thou knowest? Or who has stretched the line upon it? 6 Upon what are its foundations founded? Or who laid its corner stone; 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? 9 When I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness a swaddling band for it, 10 and established my decree upon it, and set bars and doors, 11 and said, Thou shalt come unto here, but no further; and there shall the pride of thy waves be stayed.
12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days? Hast thou shown the dayspring its place, 13 that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? 14 It is transformed as clay to the seal and then stands as a garment; 15 but the light of the wicked is taken from them, and the high arm is broken.
16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked searching out the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? 18 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? Declare if thou knowest it all.
19 Where is the way to the habitation of the light, and where is the place of the darkness? 20 If thou shalt take it in its borders, and if thou should understand the paths to its house? 21 If thou didst know when thou wast to be born or if the number of thy days was to be great?
22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow, and hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, 23 which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? 24 By what way is the light divided; from where is the east wind scattered upon the earth?
25 Who has divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters or a way for the lightning of thunder, 26 to cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, in which there is no man; 27 to satisfy the desolate and waste ground and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of the dew? 29 Out of whose womb came the ice, and the hoary frost of heaven, who has begotten it? 30 The waters harden as stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? 32 Canst thou bring forth the signs of the heavens in their season, or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? 33 Dost thou know the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou use its power in the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? 35 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto thee, Here we are? 36 Who put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who gave intelligence to understanding? 37 Who declared the heavens in wisdom? Or who can stay the bottles of heaven 38 when the dust hardens and the clods cleave fast together?
39 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion or fill the appetite of the young lions, 40 when they crouch in their dens and abide in their lairs to lie in wait? 41 Who provided food for the raven; when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of food?
1 Knowest thou the time when the mountain goats bring forth? Hast thou observed when the hinds calve? 2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil, and knowest thou the time when they bring forth? 3 How they crouch down, they bring forth their young ones, and dismiss their pain. 4 Their young ones are healthy, they grow up with grain; they go forth and never return unto them again.
5 Who freed the wild ass, and who loosed its bands? 6 Unto whom I made a house in the wilderness, and his dwellings in the salty land. 7 He laughs at the multitude of the city, neither does he hearken to the voice of the exactor of tribute. 8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.
9 Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee or abide by thy crib? 10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? Will he harrow the valleys after thee? 11 Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great? Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? 12 Wilt thou trust him, that he will bring home thy seed and gather it into thy barn?
13 Didst thou give beautiful wings unto the peacock, or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? 14 Who leaves her eggs in the earth and warms them in dust 15 and forgets that the foot may crush them or that the wild beast may break them. 16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers, not fearing that her labour is in vain, 17 because God caused her to forget wisdom and did not give her understanding. 18 In her time she lifts up herself on high; she scorns the horse and his rider.
19 Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? 20 Canst thou make him leap as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is formidable. 21 He paws at the earth and rejoices in his strength; he goes forth to meet the armed men. 22 He mocks fear and is not afraid; neither does he turn his face from the sword. 23 The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear and the shield. 24 He swallows the ground with fierceness and rage; the sound of the shofar does not trouble him; 25 for the blasts of the shofar fill him with courage; he smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the princes and the sound of the battle-cry.
26 Does the hawk fly by thy industry and stretch her wings toward the south? 27 Does the eagle mount up at thy command and make her nest on high? 28 She dwells and abides on the rock upon the crag of the rock and the strong place. 29 From there she seeks food, and her eyes behold afar off. 30 Her young ones suck up the blood; and wherever the slain are, there she is.
1 Moreover, the LORD answered Job and said,
2 Shall he that contends with the Almighty instruct him? Let him that disputes with God answer this.