Job 39

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

“Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?

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

Can you count the months that they fulfil? Or do you know the time when they give birth?

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

They bow themselves. They bear their young. They end their labour pains.

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

Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go out, and don’t return again.

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

“Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,

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

whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?

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

He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver.

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

The range of the mountains is his pasture. He searches after every green thing.

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

“Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?

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

Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?

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

Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labour?

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

Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?

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

“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the feathers and plumage of love?

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

For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust,

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

and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them.

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

She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labour is in vain, she is without fear,

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

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

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

When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.

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

“Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?

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

Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.

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

He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men.

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

He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword.

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

The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin.

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

He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

25 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.

As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

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

“Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings towards the south?

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

Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?

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

On the cliff he dwells and makes his home, on the point of the cliff and the stronghold.

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

From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off.

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

His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is.”