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37 Yea, at this my heart trembleth,
And is moved out of its place.
Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice,
And the [a]sound that goeth out of his mouth.
He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven,
And his [b]lightning unto the [c]ends of the earth.
After it a voice roareth;
He thundereth with the voice of his majesty;
And he restraineth not [d]the lightnings when his voice is heard.
God thundereth marvellously with his voice;
Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.
For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth;
Likewise to the shower of rain,
And to the showers of his mighty rain.
He sealeth up the hand of every man,
That all men whom he hath made may know it.
Then the beasts go into coverts,
And remain in their dens.
Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm,
And cold out of the [e]north.
10 By the breath of God ice is given;
And the breadth of the waters is [f]straitened.
11 Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture;
He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his [g]lightning:
12 And it is turned round about by his guidance,
That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them
Upon the face of the habitable world,
13 Whether it be for correction, or for his [h]land,
Or for lovingkindness, that he cause it to come.

14 Hearken unto this, O Job:
Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
15 Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them,
And causeth the [i]lightning of his cloud to shine?
16 Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds,
The wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?
17 [j]How thy garments are warm,
[k]When the earth is still by reason of the south wind?
18 Canst thou with him spread out the sky,
Which is strong as a molten mirror?
19 Teach us what we shall say unto him;
For we cannot set our speech in order by reason of darkness.
20 Shall it be told him that I would speak?
[l]Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?

21 And now men [m]see not the light which is bright in the skies;
But the wind passeth, and cleareth them.
22 Out of the north cometh [n]golden splendor:
God hath upon him terrible majesty.
23 Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out:
He is excellent in power;
And [o]in justice and plenteous righteousness he will not afflict.
24 Men do therefore fear him:
He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.

38 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Who is this that darkeneth counsel
By words without knowledge?
Gird up now thy loins like a man;
For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Declare, [p]if thou hast understanding.
Who determined the measures thereof, [q]if thou knowest?
Or who stretched the line upon it?
Whereupon were the [r]foundations thereof [s]fastened?
Or who laid the corner-stone thereof,
When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut up the sea with doors,
When it brake forth, [t]as if it had issued out of the womb;
When I made clouds the garment thereof,
And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,
10 And [u]marked out for it my bound,
And set bars and doors,
11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;
And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,
And caused the dayspring to know its place;
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It is changed as clay under the seal;
And all things stand forth [v]as a garment:
15 And from the wicked their light is withholden,
And the high arm is broken.

16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?
Or hast thou walked in the [w]recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee?
Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
18 Hast thou comprehended the earth in its breadth?
Declare, if thou knowest it all.

19 Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And as for darkness, where is the place thereof,
20 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,
And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?
21 Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born,
And the number of thy days is great!
22 Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow,
Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
Against the day of battle and war?
24 [x]By what way is the light parted,
Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?

25 Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood,
Or the way for the lightning of the thunder;
26 To cause it to rain on a land where no man is;
On the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
27 To satisfy the waste and desolate ground,
And to cause the [y]tender grass to spring forth?
28 Hath the rain a father?
Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice?
And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath [z]gendered it?
30 The waters [aa]hide themselves and become like stone,
And the face of the deep [ab]is frozen.

31 Canst thou bind the [ac]cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the bands of Orion?
32 Canst thou lead forth [ad]the Mazzaroth in their season?
Or canst thou guide the Bear with her [ae]train?
33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens?
Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?

34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds,
That abundance of waters may cover thee?
35 Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go,
And say unto thee, Here we are?
36 Who hath put wisdom in the [af]inward parts?
Or who hath given understanding to the [ag]mind?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can [ah]pour out the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust runneth into a mass,
And the clods cleave fast together?

39 Canst thou hunt the prey for the lioness,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they couch in their dens,
And abide in the covert to lie in wait?
41 Who provideth for the raven his prey,
When his young ones cry unto God,
And wander for lack of food?

Footnotes

  1. Job 37:2 Or, muttering
  2. Job 37:3 Hebrew light.
  3. Job 37:3 Hebrew skirts.
  4. Job 37:4 Hebrew them.
  5. Job 37:9 Hebrew scattering winds.
  6. Job 37:10 Or, congealed
  7. Job 37:11 Hebrew light.
  8. Job 37:13 Or, earth
  9. Job 37:15 Hebrew light.
  10. Job 37:17 Or, Thou whose garments are etc.
  11. Job 37:17 Or, When he quieteth the earth by the south wind
  12. Job 37:20 Or, If a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up
  13. Job 37:21 Or, cannot look on the light when it is bright in the skies, When the wind hath passed, and cleared them
  14. Job 37:22 Hebrew gold.
  15. Job 37:23 Or, to justice . . . he doeth no violence
  16. Job 38:4 Hebrew if thou knowest understanding.
  17. Job 38:5 Or, seeing
  18. Job 38:6 Hebrew sockets.
  19. Job 38:6 Hebrew made to sink.
  20. Job 38:8 Or, and issued
  21. Job 38:10 Hebrew brake.
  22. Job 38:14 Or, as in a garment
  23. Job 38:16 Or, search
  24. Job 38:24 Or, Which is the way to the place where the light is etc.
  25. Job 38:27 Or, greensward
  26. Job 38:29 Or, given it birth
  27. Job 38:30 Or, are congealed like stone
  28. Job 38:30 Hebrew cohereth.
  29. Job 38:31 Or, chain Or, sweet influences
  30. Job 38:32 Or, the signs of the Zodiac
  31. Job 38:32 Hebrew sons.
  32. Job 38:36 Or, dark clouds
  33. Job 38:36 Or, meteor
  34. Job 38:37 Hebrew cause to lie down.