Job 39

1 Know you the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or can you mark when the hinds do calve?

Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?

2 Can you number the months that they fulfill? or know you the time when they bring forth?

Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?

3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.

They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.

4 Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not to them.

Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.

5 Who has sent out the wild ass free? or who has loosed the bands of the wild ass?

Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?

6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.

To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.

7 He scorns the multitude of the city, neither regards he the crying of the driver.

He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;

8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.

He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.

9 Will the unicorn be willing to serve you, or abide by your crib?

Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?

10 Can you bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after you?

Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?

11 Will you trust him, because his strength is great? or will you leave your labor to him?

Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?

12 Will you believe him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather it into your barn?

Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?

13 Gave you the goodly wings to the peacocks? or wings and feathers to the ostrich?

Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,

14 Which leaves her eggs in the earth, and warms them in dust,

That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,

15 And forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.

Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?

16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labor is in vain without fear;

She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.

17 Because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding.

For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.

18 What time she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.

When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.

19 Have you given the horse strength? have you clothed his neck with thunder?

Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?

20 Can you make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.

Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?

21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength: he goes on to meet the armed men.

He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.

22 He mocks at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turns he back from the sword.

In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.

23 The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear and the shield.

The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.

24 He swallows the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believes he that it is the sound of the trumpet.

Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;

25 He says among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.

26 Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?

Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?

27 Does the eagle mount up at your command, and make her nest on high?

Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?

28 She dwells and stays on the rock, on the crag of the rock, and the strong place.

On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.

29 From there she seeks the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.

From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.

30 Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.

His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.