Job 39

1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? [or] canst thou 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 Canst thou number the months [that] they fulfil? or knowest thou 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 unto them.

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

5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath 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 scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth 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 searcheth 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 thee, or abide by thy crib?

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

10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?

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

11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength [is] great? or wilt thou leave thy labour 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 Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather [it into] thy barn?

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

13 [Gavest thou] the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?

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

14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,

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

15 And forgetteth 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 labour 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 hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

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

18 What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth 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 Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou 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 Canst thou 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 paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in [his] strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.

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

22 He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth 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 rattleth 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 swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth 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 saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth 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 Doth the hawk fly by thy 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 Doth the eagle mount up at thy 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 dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon 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 thence she seeketh 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.