Iyov (Job) 38

1Then Adonai answered Iyov out of the storm:

2“Who is this, darkening my plans

with his ignorant words?

3Stand up like a man, and brace yourself;

I will ask questions; and you, give the answers!

4“Where were you when I founded the earth?

Tell me, if you know so much.

5Do you know who determined its dimensions

or who stretched the measuring line across it?

6On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone,

7when the morning stars sang together,

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8“Who shut up the sea behind closed doors

when it gushed forth from the womb,

9when I made the clouds its blanket

and dense fog its swaddling cloth,

10when I made the breakers its boundary

set its gates and bars,

11and said, ‘You may come this far, but no farther;

here your proud waves must stop’?

12“Have you ever in your life called up the dawn

and made the morning know its place,

13so that it could take hold of the edges of the earth

and shake the wicked out of it?

14Then the earth is changed like clay under a seal,

until its colors are fixed like those of a garment.

15But from the wicked the light is withheld,

and the arm raised [to strike] is broken.

16“Have you gone down to the springs of the sea

or explored the limits of the deep?

17Have the gates of death been revealed to you,

the gates of death-like darkness?

18Have you surveyed the full extent of the earth?

Say so, if you know it all!

19“Which way leads to where light has its home?

and darkness, where does it dwell?

20If you knew, you could take each to its place

and set it on its homeward path.

21You know, of course, because you were born then;

by now you must be very old!

22“Have you gone into the storehouses for snow

or seen the storehouses for hail,

23which I save for times of trouble,

for days of battle and war?

24“By what path is light dispersed,

or the east wind poured out on the land?

25Who cut a channel for the downpours,

or a way for the lightning and thunder,

26causing it to rain where no one is,

in a desert without anyone there,

27drenching the waste and desolate [ground],

till the tender grass sprouts?

28Does the rain have a father?

Who is the father of dewdrops?

29From whose womb does ice come?

Who gives birth to the frost of heaven,

30when water becomes as hard as stone,

and the surface of the deep freezes solid?

31“Can you tie up the cords of the Pleiades

or loosen the belt of Orion?

32Can you lead out the constellations of the zodiac in their season

or guide the Great Bear and its cubs?

33Do you know the laws of the sky?

Can you determine how they affect the earth?

34“Can you raise your voice to the clouds

and make them cover you with a flood of rain?

35Can you send lightning bolts on their way?

Will they say to you, ‘Here we are’?

36“Who put wisdom in people’s inner parts?

Who gave understanding to the mind?

37Who, by wisdom, can number the clouds?

Who can tilt the water-skins of heaven,

38so that the dust becomes a mass [of mud],

and its clods stick together?

39“Can you hunt prey for a lioness

or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

40when they crouch in their dens

or lie in ambush in their lairs?

41Who provides food for the raven

when his young cry out to God

and wander about for lack of food?

Currently Selected:

Iyov (Job) 38: CJB

Highlight

Copy

Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in

For more information and to purchase a hard copy of the Complete Jewish Bible,

Learn More About Complete Jewish Bible

Job 38

The LORD Speaks: Who Is Able to Challenge Me?

1Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.

2“Who is this that belittles my advice

with words that do not show any knowledge ⌞about it⌟?

3Brace yourself like a man!

I will ask you, and you will teach me.

The LORD Speaks about Creation

4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me if you have ⌞such⌟ insight.

5Who determined its dimensions?

Certainly, you know!

Who stretched a measuring line over it?

6On what were its footings sunk?

Who laid its cornerstone

7when the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8“Who shut the sea behind gates

when it burst through and came out of the womb,

9when I clothed it with clouds

and wrapped it up in dark clouds,

10when I set a limit for it

and put up bars and gates,

11when I said, ‘You may come this far but no farther.

Here your proud waves will stop’?

12“Have you ever given orders to the morning

or assigned a place for the dawn

13so that it could grab the earth by its edges

and shake wicked people out of it?

14The earth changes like clay stamped by a seal,

and ⌞parts of it⌟ stand out like ⌞folds in⌟ clothing.

15Wicked people are deprived of their light,

and an arm raised ⌞in victory⌟ is broken.

16Have you gone to the springs in the sea

or walked through the valleys of the ocean depths?

17Have the gateways to death been revealed to you,

or have you seen the gateways to total darkness?

18Have you ⌞even⌟ considered how wide the earth is?

Tell me, if you know all of this!

19“What is the way to the place where light lives?

Where is the home of darkness

20so that you may lead it to its territory,

so that you may know the path to its home?

21You must know because you were born then

and have lived such a long time!

22Have you been to the warehouses where snow is stored

or seen the warehouses for hail

23that I have stored up for the time of trouble,

for the day of battle and war?

24Which is the way to the place where light is scattered

and the east wind is spread across the earth?

25“Who made a channel for the flooding rains

and a path for the thunderstorms

26to bring rain on a land where no one lives,

on a desert where there are no humans,

27to saturate the desolate wasteland

in order to make it sprout with grass?

28Does the rain have a father?

Who gave birth to the dewdrops?

29From whose womb came the ice,

and who has given birth to the frost in the air?

30The water hardens like a stone,

and the surface of the ocean freezes over.

31“Can you connect the chains of the ⌞constellation⌟ Pleiades

or untie the ropes of Orion?

32Can you bring out the constellations at the right time

or guide Ursa Major with its cubs?

33Do you know the laws of the sky

or make them rule the earth?

34Can you call to the clouds

and have a flood of water cover you?

35Can you send lightning flashes so that they may go and say to you,

‘Here we are’?

36Who put wisdom in the heart

or gave understanding to the mind?

37Who is wise enough to count the clouds

or pour out the water jars of heaven

38when the dirt hardens into clumps

and the soil clings together?

The Lioness

39“Can you hunt prey for the lioness

and satisfy the hunger of her cubs

40as they crouch in their dens

and lie ready to ambush from their lairs?

The Crow

41“Who provides food for the crow

when its young ones cry to God

and wander around in need of food?

Currently Selected:

Highlight

Copy

Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in

Learn More About GOD'S WORD