Job 38
38
The Lord Questions Job
1Then the Lord answered Job from the storm. He said:
2“Who is this that makes my purpose unclear
by saying things that are not true?
3Be strong like a man.
I will ask you questions,
and you must answer me.
4Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5Who marked off how big it should be?
Surely you know!
6What were the earth’s foundations set on?
Or who put its cornerstone in place?
7Who did all this while the morning stars sang together?
Who did this while the angels shouted with joy?
8“Who shut the doors to keep the sea in
when it broke through and was born?
9This was when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea.
And I wrapped the sea in dark clouds.
10It was when I put limits on the sea.
And I put its doors and bars in place.
11It was when I said to the sea, ‘You may come this far, but no farther.
This is where your proud waves must stop.’
12“Have you ever given orders for morning to begin?
Or have you shown the dawn where its place was?
13The dawn takes hold of earth by its edges
and shakes evil people out of it.
14At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal.
The hills and valleys stand out like folds in a coat.
15Light is not given to evil people.
Their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken.
16“Have you ever gone to where the sea begins?
Or have you walked in the valleys under the sea?
17Have the gates of death been opened to you?
Or have you seen the gates of the deep darkness?
18Do you understand the great width of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all these things.
19“What is the path to light’s home?
And where does darkness live?
20Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the way to their homes?
21Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened!
Have you lived that many years?
22“Have you ever gone into the storehouse where snow is kept?
Or have you seen the storehouses for hail?
23I save the snow and hail for times of trouble.
I save them for days of war and battle.
24How do you get to the place where light comes from?
Or where is the place from which the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains?
And who sets a path for the thunderstorm to follow?
26Who waters the land where no one lives?
Who waters the desert that has no one in it?
27Who sends rain to satisfy the empty land
so the grass begins to grow?
28Does the rain have a father?
Who is father to the drops of dew?
29Who is the mother of the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the sky?
30The waters become hard as stone.
Even the surface of the deep ocean is frozen.
31“Can you tie up the stars of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen the ropes of the stars in Orion?
32Can you bring out the stars at the right times?
Or can you lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs?
33Do you know the laws of the sky?
Can you understand their rule over the earth?
34“Can you shout an order to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35Can you send lightning bolts on their way?
Do the flashes of lightning report to you and say, ‘Here we are’?
36Who put wisdom inside the mind?
Or who put understanding in the heart?
37Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can pour water from the jars of heaven?
38Who can do this when the dust becomes hard
and the clumps of dirt stick together?
39“Do you hunt food for the female lion
to satisfy the hunger of the young lions?
40Do you hunt for them while they lie in their dens
or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?
41Who gives food to the birds
when their young cry out to God?
And who gives them food when they wander about without any?
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Job 38: ICB
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