Job 38
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?
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Job 38: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Job 38
38
The Lord Speaks
1The Lord spoke to Job out of a storm. He said,
2“Who do you think you are to disagree with my plans?
You do not know what you are talking about.
3Get ready to stand up for yourself.
I will ask you some questions.
Then I want you to answer me.
4“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you know.
5Who measured it? I am sure you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6What was it built on?
Who laid its most important stone?
7When it happened, the morning stars sang together.
All the angels shouted with joy.
8“Who created the ocean?
Who caused it to be born?
9I put clouds over it as if they were its clothes.
I wrapped it in thick darkness.
10I set limits for it.
I put its doors and metal bars in place.
11I said, ‘You can come this far.
But you can’t come any farther.
Here is where your proud waves have to stop.’
12“Job, have you ever commanded the morning to come?
Have you ever shown the sun where to rise?
13The daylight takes the earth by its edges
as if it were a blanket.
Then it shakes sinful people out of it.
14The earth takes shape like clay stamped with an official’s mark.
Its features stand out
like the different parts of your clothes.
15Sinners would rather have darkness than light.
When the light comes, their power is broken.
16“Have you traveled to the springs at the bottom of the ocean?
Have you walked in its deepest parts?
17Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18Do you understand how big the earth is?
Tell me, if you know all these things.
19“Where does light come from?
And where does darkness live?
20Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their houses?
21I am sure you know! After all, you were already born!
You have lived so many years!
22“Have you entered the places where the snow is kept?
Have you seen the storerooms for the hail?
23I store up snow and hail for times of trouble.
I keep them for days of war and battle.
24Where does lightning come from?
Where do the east winds live that blow across the earth?
25Who tells the rain where it should fall?
Who makes paths for the thunderstorms?
26They bring water to places where no one lives.
They water deserts that do not have anyone in them.
27They satisfy the needs of dry and empty lands.
They make grass start growing there.
28Does the rain have a father?
Who is the father of the drops of dew?
29Does the ice have a mother?
Who is the mother of the frost from the heavens?
30The waters become as hard as stone.
The surface of the ocean freezes over.
31“Can you tie up the cords of the Pleiades?
Can you untie the belt that Orion wears?
32Can you bring out all the stars in their seasons?
Can you lead out the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper?
33Do you know the laws that govern the heavens?
Can you rule over the earth the way I do?
34“Can you give orders to the clouds?
Can you make them pour rain down on you?
35Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36Who gives the ibis wisdom?
Who gives the rooster understanding?
37Who is wise enough to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens?
38I tip them over when the ground becomes hard.
I do it when the dirt sticks together.
39“Do you hunt for food for mother lions?
Do you satisfy the hunger of their cubs?
40Some of them lie low in their dens.
Others lie waiting in the bushes.
41Who provides food for ravens
when their babies cry out to me?
They wander around because they do not have anything to eat.
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