Job 38-42
New American Standard Bible 1995
God Speaks Now to Job
38 Then the Lord (A)answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this that (B)darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
3 “Now (C)gird up your loins like a man,
And (D)I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4 “Where were you (E)when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you [a]have understanding,
5 Who set its (F)measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6 “On what (G)were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the (H)sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who (I)enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9 When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 And I [b](J)placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop’?
God’s Mighty Power
12 “Have you [c]ever in your life commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of (K)the ends of the earth,
And (L)the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 “It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand forth like a garment.
15 “(M)From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the (N)uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered into (O)the springs of the sea
Or walked [d]in the recesses of the deep?
17 “Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
Or have you seen the gates of (P)deep darkness?
18 “Have you understood the [e]expanse of (Q)the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to (R)its territory
And that you may discern the paths to its [f]home?
21 “You know, for (S)you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses (T)of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the (U)hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?
24 “Where is the way that (V)the light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?
25 “Who has cleft a channel for the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt,
26 To bring (W)rain on a land without [g]people,
On a desert without a man in it,
27 To (X)satisfy the waste and desolate land
And to make the [h]seeds of grass to sprout?
28 “Has (Y)the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 “From whose womb has come the (Z)ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 “Water [i]becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31 “Can you bind the chains of the (AA)Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
32 “Can you lead forth a [j]constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her [k]satellites?
33 “Do you know the (AB)ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
So that an (AC)abundance of water will cover you?
35 “Can you (AD)send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 “Who has (AE)put wisdom in the innermost being
Or given (AF)understanding to the [l]mind?
37 “Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
Or (AG)tip the water jars of the heavens,
38 When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?
39 “Can you hunt the (AH)prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they (AI)crouch in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?
41 “Who prepares for (AJ)the raven its nourishment
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?
God Speaks of Nature and Its Beings
39 “Do you know the time the [m](AK)mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the (AL)deer?
2 “Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
3 “They kneel down, they bring forth their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.
4 “Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5 “Who sent out the (AM)wild donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I gave (AN)the wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 “He scorns the tumult of the city,
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
8 “He explores the mountains for his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
9 “Will the (AO)wild ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?
10 “Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with [n]ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 “Will you trust him because his strength is great
And leave your labor to him?
12 “Will you have faith in him that he will return your [o]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?
13 “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously
With the pinion and plumage of [p]love,
14 For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush [q]them,
Or that a wild beast may trample [r]them.
16 “She treats her young (AP)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be in vain, she is [s]unconcerned;
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 “When she lifts herself [t]on high,
She laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 “Do you make him (AQ)leap like the locust?
His majestic (AR)snorting is terrible.
21 “[u]He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He (AS)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 “He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
23 “The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
24 “With shaking and rage he [v]races over the ground,
And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.
25 “As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 “Is it at your [w]command that the eagle mounts up
And makes (AT)his nest on high?
28 “On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.
29 “From there he (AU)spies out food;
His eyes see it from afar.
30 “His young ones also suck up blood;
And (AV)where the slain are, there is he.”
Job: What Can I Say?
40 Then the Lord said to Job,
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I (AY)lay my hand on my mouth.
5 “Once I have spoken, and (AZ)I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
God Questions Job
6 Then the (BA)Lord answered Job out of the storm and said,
7 “Now (BB)gird up your loins like a man;
I will (BC)ask you, and you instruct Me.
8 “Will you really (BD)annul My judgment?
Will you (BE)condemn Me (BF)that you may be justified?
9 “Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you (BG)thunder with a voice like His?
10 “(BH)Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 “Pour out (BI)the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is (BJ)proud, and make him low.
12 “Look on everyone who is proud, and (BK)humble him,
And (BL)tread down the wicked [x]where they stand.
13 “(BM)Hide them in the dust together;
Bind [y]them in the hidden place.
14 “Then I will also [z]confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.
God’s Power Shown in Creatures
15 “Behold now, [aa]Behemoth, which (BN)I made [ab]as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16 “Behold now, his strength in his loins
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 “He bends his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 “His bones are tubes of bronze;
His [ac]limbs are like bars of iron.
19 “He is the (BO)first of the ways of God;
Let his (BP)maker bring near his sword.
20 “Surely the mountains (BQ)bring him food,
And all the beasts of the field (BR)play there.
21 “Under the lotus plants he lies down,
In the covert of the reeds and the marsh.
22 “The lotus plants cover him with [ad]shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23 “If a river [ae]rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the (BS)Jordan rushes to his mouth.
24 “Can anyone capture him [af]when he is on watch,
With [ag]barbs can anyone pierce his nose?
God’s Power Shown in Creatures
41 “[ah]Can you draw out [ai](BT)Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
2 “Can you (BU)put a [aj]rope in his nose
Or pierce his jaw with a [ak]hook?
3 “Will he make many supplications to you,
Or will he speak to you soft words?
4 “Will he make a covenant with you?
Will you take him for a servant forever?
5 “Will you play with him as with a bird,
Or will you bind him for your maidens?
6 “Will the [al]traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him among the merchants?
7 “Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
8 “Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle; [am]you will not do it again!
9 “[an]Behold, [ao]your expectation is false;
Will [ap]you be laid low even at the sight of him?
10 “No one is so fierce that he dares to (BV)arouse him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me?
11 “Who has [aq](BW)given to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is (BX)under the whole heaven is Mine.
12 “I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Or his mighty strength, or his [ar]orderly frame.
13 “Who can [as]strip off his outer armor?
Who can come within his double [at]mail?
14 “Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth there is terror.
15 “His [au]strong scales are his pride,
Shut up as with a tight seal.
16 “One is so near to another
That no air can come between them.
17 “They are joined one to another;
They clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18 “His sneezes flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the (BY)eyelids of the morning.
19 “Out of his mouth go burning torches;
Sparks of fire leap forth.
20 “Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 “His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
22 “In his neck lodges strength,
And dismay leaps before him.
23 “The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm on him and immovable.
24 “His heart is as hard as a stone,
Even as hard as a lower millstone.
25 “When he raises himself up, the [av]mighty fear;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
26 “The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin.
27 “He regards iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood.
28 “The [aw]arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.
29 “Clubs are regarded as stubble;
He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.
30 “His underparts are like sharp potsherds;
He [ax]spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mire.
31 “He makes the depths boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
32 “Behind him he makes a wake to shine;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired.
33 “(BZ)Nothing on [ay]earth is like him,
One made without fear.
34 “[az]He looks on everything that is high;
He is king over all the (CA)sons of pride.”
Job’s Confession
42 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
2 “I know that (CB)You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that (CC)hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things (CD)too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will (CE)ask You, and You instruct me.’
5 “I have (CF)heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my (CG)eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”
God Displeased with Job’s Friends
7 It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right (CH)as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves (CI)seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a (CJ)burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will (CK)pray for you. (CL)For I will [ba]accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord told them; and the Lord [bb]accepted Job.
God Restores Job’s Fortunes
10 The Lord (CM)restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold. 11 Then all his (CN)brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they (CO)consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him one [bc]piece of money, and each a ring of gold. 12 (CP)The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; (CQ)and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 (CR)He had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. 17 (CS)And Job died, an old man and full of days.
Footnotes
- Job 38:4 Lit know understanding
- Job 38:10 Lit broke My decree on it
- Job 38:12 Lit from your days
- Job 38:16 Or in search of
- Job 38:18 Or width
- Job 38:20 Lit house
- Job 38:26 Lit man
- Job 38:27 Or growth
- Job 38:30 Lit hides itself
- Job 38:32 Heb Mazzaroth
- Job 38:32 Lit sons
- Job 38:36 Or rooster
- Job 39:1 Lit goats of the rock
- Job 39:10 Lit his rope
- Job 39:12 Lit seed
- Job 39:13 Or a stork
- Job 39:15 Lit it
- Job 39:15 Lit it
- Job 39:16 Lit without fear
- Job 39:18 Or to flee
- Job 39:21 Lit They paw
- Job 39:24 Or swallows up
- Job 39:27 Lit mouth
- Job 40:12 Lit under them
- Job 40:13 Or their faces
- Job 40:14 Or praise you
- Job 40:15 Or the hippopotamus
- Job 40:15 Lit with
- Job 40:18 Lit bones
- Job 40:22 Lit his shade
- Job 40:23 Or oppresses
- Job 40:24 Lit in his eyes
- Job 40:24 Lit snares
- Job 41:1 Ch 40:25 in Heb
- Job 41:1 Or the crocodile
- Job 41:2 Lit rope of rushes
- Job 41:2 Or thorn or ring
- Job 41:6 Lit partners
- Job 41:8 Lit do not add
- Job 41:9 Ch 41:1 in Heb
- Job 41:9 Lit his
- Job 41:9 Lit he
- Job 41:11 Lit anticipated
- Job 41:12 Or graceful
- Job 41:13 Lit uncover the face of his garment
- Job 41:13 So Gr; Heb bridle
- Job 41:15 Lit rows of shields
- Job 41:25 Or gods
- Job 41:28 Lit son of the bow
- Job 41:30 Or moves across
- Job 41:33 Lit dust
- Job 41:34 Ch 41:26 in Heb
- Job 42:8 Lit lift up his face
- Job 42:9 Lit lifted up the face of
- Job 42:11 Heb qesitah
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
