Job 38
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind,
2 Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
“Who is this who questions my wisdom by talking so ignorantly?
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
Prepare yourself, be strong, for I am going to question you, and you must answer me.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have such knowledge!
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Who decided its dimensions? Don't you know? Who stretched out a measuring line?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
What do its foundations rest upon? Who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
when the stars of the morning sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.
8 Or [who] shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, [as if] it had issued out of the womb?
Who laid down the boundaries of the sea when it was born?
9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
Who clothed it with clouds, and wrapped it in a blanket of deep darkness?
10 And brake up for it my decreed [place], and set bars and doors,
I set its limits, marking its borders.
11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
I said, ‘You may come here, but no farther. Here is where your proud waves stop.’
12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; [and] caused the dayspring to know his place;
During your lifetime, have you ever ordered the morning to begin?
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
Have you ever told the dawn where to appear that it might take hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wicked out?
14 It is turned as clay [to] the seal; and they stand as a garment.
The earth is changed like clay under a seal; its features stand out like a crumpled garment.
15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.
The ‘light’ of the wicked is taken away from them; their acts of violence are stopped.
16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?
Have you entered the sources of the sea? Have you explored their hidden depths?
17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
Have you been shown where the gates of death are? Have you seen the gates of utter darkness?
18 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.
Do you know how far the earth extends? Tell me if you know all this!
19 Where [is] the way [where] light dwelleth? and [as for] darkness, where [is] the place thereof,
In which direction does light live? Where does darkness dwell?
20 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths [to] the house thereof?
Can you take them home? Do you know the way to where they live?
21 Knowest thou [it], because thou wast then born? or [because] the number of thy days [is] great?
Of course you know, because you were already born then! You've lived so long!
22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
Have you been to where the snow is kept? Have you seen where the hail is held?
23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
I have stored them up for the time of trouble, for the day of war and battle.
24 By what way is the light parted, [which] scattereth the east wind upon the earth?
Do you know the way to where light comes from, or to where the east wind blows over the earth?
25 Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;
Who cuts a channel for the rain to flow? Who creates a path for the thunderbolt?
26 To cause it to rain on the earth, [where] no man [is; on] the wilderness, wherein [there is] no man;
Who brings rain to an uninhabited land, to a desert where nobody lives,
27 To satisfy the desolate and waste [ground; ] and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
to water a parched wasteland to make the green grass grow?
28 Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
Does the rain have a father? Who was the father of the dewdrops?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
Who was the mother of ice? Does the frost of the air have a mother?
30 The waters are hid as [with] a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
Water turns into rock-hard ice; its surface freezes solid.
31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
Can you tie together the stars of the Pleiades? Can you loosen the belt of the Orion constellation?
32 Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
Can you guide the stars of Mazzaroth at the right time? Can you direct the Great Bear constellation and its other stars?
33 Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?
Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you apply them to the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?
Can you shout to the clouds and command them to pour rain down on you?
35 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we [are]?
Can you send out bolts of lightning and direct them, so that they can answer you saying, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?
Who has placed wisdom inside people? Who has given understanding to the mind?
37 Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,
Who is clever enough to count the clouds? Who can turn heaven's water jars on their sides
38 When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?
when the dust has baked into a solid mass?
39 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,
Can you hunt prey for the lion? Can you feed the lion cubs
40 When they couch in [their] dens, [and] abide in the covert to lie in wait?
as they crouch down in their dens and lie in wait in the bushes?
41 Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.
Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God, weak from starvation?
