Job 39

1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats bring forth among the rocks, or hast thou observed the hinds when they fawn?

[Say] if you know the time of the bringing forth of the wild goats of the rock, and [if] you have marked the calving of the hinds:

2 Hast thou numbered the months of their conceiving, or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?

and [if] you has have numbered the full months of their being with young, and [if] you have relieved their pangs:

3 They bow themselves to bring forth young, and they cast them, and send forth roarings.

and have reared their young without fear; and will you loosen their pangs?

4 Their young are weaned and go to feed: they go forth, and return not to them.

Their young will break forth; they will be multiplied with offspring: [their young] will go forth, and will not return to them.

5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free, and who hath loosed his bonds?

And who is he that sent forth the wild ass free? and who loosed his bands?

6 To whom I have given a house in the wilderness, and his dwellings in the barren land.

whereas I made his habitation the wilderness, and the salt land his coverts.

7 He scorneth the multitude of the city, he heareth not the cry of the driver.

He laughs to scorn the multitude of the city, and hears not the chiding of the tax-gatherer.

8 He looketh round about the mountains of his pasture, and seeketh for every green thing.

He will survey the mountains [as] his pasture, and he seeks after every green thing.

9 Shall the rhinoceros be willing to serve thee, or will he stay at thy crib?

And will the unicorn be willing to serve you, or to lie down at your manger?

10 Canst thou bind the rhinoceros with thy thong to plough, or will he break the clods of the valleys after thee?

And will you bind his yoke with thongs, or will he plow furrows for you in the plain?

11 Wilt thou have confidence in his great strength, and leave thy labours to him?

And do you trust him, because his strength is great? and will you commit your works to him?

12 Wilt thou trust him that he will render thee the seed, and gather it into thy barnfloor?

And will you believe that he will return to you your seed, and bring [it] in [to] your threshing floor?

13 The wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the heron, and of the hawk.

The peacock has a beautiful wing: if the stork and the ostrich conceive, [it is worthy of notice],

14 When she leaveth her eggs on the earth, thou perhaps wilt warm them in the dust.

for [the ostrich] will leave her eggs in the ground, and warm them on the dust,

15 She forgetteth that the foot may tread upon them, or that the beasts of the field may break them.

and has forgotten that the foot will scatter them, and the wild beasts of the field trample them.

16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers, she hath laboured in vain, no fear constraining her.

She has hardened [herself] against her young ones, as though [she bereaved] not herself: she labors in vain without fear.

17 For God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he given her understanding.

For God has withholden wisdom from her, and not given her a portion in understanding.

18 When time shall be, she setteth up her wings on high: she scorneth the horse and his rider.

In her season she will lift herself on high; she will scorn the horse and his rider.

19 Wilt thou give strength to the horse, or clothe his neck with neighing?

Hast you invested the horse with strength, and clothed his neck with terror?

20 Wilt thou lift him up like the locusts? the glory of his nostrils is terror.

And have you clad him in perfect armor, and made his breast glorious with courage?

21 He breaketh up the earth with his hoof, he pranceth boldly, he goeth forward to meet armed men.

He paws exulting in the plain, and goes forth in strength into the plain.

22 He despiseth fear, he turneth not his back to the sword,

He laughs to scorn a king as he meets him, and will by no means turn back from the sword.

23 Above him shall the quiver rattle, the spear and shield shall glitter.

The bow and sword resound against him; and [his] rage will swallow up the ground:

24 Chasing and raging he swalloweth the ground, neither doth he make account when the noise of the trumpet soundeth.

and he will not believe until the trumpet sounds.

25 When he heareth the trumpet he saith: Ha, ha: he smelleth the battle afar off, the encouraging of the captains, and the shouting of the army.

And when the trumpet sounds, he says, Aha! and afar off he smells the war with prancing and neighing.

26 Doth the hawk wax feathered by thy wisdom, spreading her wings to the south?

And does the hawk remain steady by your wisdom, having spread out her wings unmoved, looking toward the region of the south?

27 Will the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest in high places?

And does the eagle rise at your command, and the vulture remain sitting over his nest,

28 She abideth among the rocks, and dwelleth among cragged flints, and stony hills, where there is no access.

on a crag of a rock, and in a secret [place]?

29 From thence she looketh for the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.

Thence he seeks food, his eyes observe from far.

30 Her young ones shall suck up blood: and wheresoever the carcass shall be, she is immediately there.

And his young ones roll themselves in blood, and wherever the carcasses may be, immediately they are found.