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Job 39-40
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Job 39-40
Holman Christian Standard Bible
39 Do you know when mountain goats give birth?
Have you watched the deer in labor?
2 Can you count the months they are pregnant[a]
so you can know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch down to give birth to their young;
they deliver their newborn.[b]
4 Their offspring are healthy and grow up in the open field.
They leave and do not return.[c]
5 Who set the wild donkey free?
Who released the swift donkey from its harness?
6 I made the wilderness(A) its home,
and the salty(B) wasteland its dwelling.
7 It scoffs at the noise of the village
and never hears the shouts of a driver.(C)
8 It roams the mountains for its pastureland,
searching for anything green.
9 Would the wild ox be willing to serve you?
Would it spend the night by your feeding trough?
10 Can you hold the wild ox(D) to a furrow by its harness?
Will it plow the valleys behind you?
11 Can you depend on it because its strength is great?
Would you leave it to do your hard work?
12 Can you trust the wild ox to harvest your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
but are her feathers and plumage like the stork’s?[d](E)
14 She abandons her eggs on the ground
and lets them be warmed in the sand.
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them
or that some wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not her own,
with no fear that her labor may have been in vain.
17 For God has deprived her of wisdom;
He has not endowed her with understanding.(F)
18 When she proudly[e] spreads her wings,
she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 Do you give strength to the horse?
Do you adorn his neck with a mane?[f]
20 Do you make him leap like a locust?
His proud snorting fills one with terror.
21 He paws[g] in the valley and rejoices in his strength;
He charges into battle.[h]
22 He laughs at fear, since he is afraid of nothing;
he does not run from the sword.
23 A quiver rattles at his side,
along with a flashing spear and a lance.[i]
24 He charges ahead[j] with trembling rage;
he cannot stand still at the trumpet’s sound.
25 When the trumpet blasts, he snorts defiantly.[k]
He smells the battle from a distance;
he hears the officers’ shouts and the battle cry.
26 Does the hawk take flight by your understanding
and spread its wings to the south?
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and make its nest(G) on high?
28 It lives on a cliff where it spends the night;
its stronghold is on a rocky crag.
29 From there it searches for prey;(H)
its eyes penetrate the distance.
30 Its brood gulps down blood,
and where the slain are, it is there.(I)
40 The Lord answered Job:
2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.[l]
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 I am so insignificant. How can I answer You?(J)
I place my hand over my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
twice, but now I can add nothing.(K)
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:(L)
7 Get ready to answer Me like a man;
When I question(M) you, you will inform Me.
8 Would you really challenge My justice?
Would you declare Me guilty(N) to justify yourself?(O)
9 Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like His?
10 Adorn yourself with majesty(P) and splendor,
and clothe yourself with honor and glory.
11 Unleash your raging anger;(Q)
look on every proud person and humiliate him.(R)
12 Look on every proud person and humble him;(S)
trample the wicked where they stand.[m]
13 Hide them together in the dust;
imprison them in the grave.[n]
14 Then I will confess to you
that your own right hand(T) can deliver you.(U)
15 Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you.
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Look at the strength of his loins
and the power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree;
the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together.
18 His bones are bronze tubes;
his limbs are like iron rods.
19 He is the foremost of God’s works;(V)
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.
20 The hills yield food for him,
while all sorts of wild animals play there.
21 He lies under the lotus plants,
hiding in the protection[o] of marshy reeds.
22 Lotus plants cover him with their shade;
the willows by the brook surround him.
23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;
he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture him while he looks on,[p]
or pierce his nose with snares?
Footnotes
- Job 39:2 Lit months they fulfill
- Job 39:3 Or they send away their labor pains
- Job 39:4 Lit return to them
- Job 39:13 Hb obscure
- Job 39:18 Hb obscure
- Job 39:19 Hb obscure
- Job 39:21 LXX, Syr; MT reads digs
- Job 39:21 Lit He goes out to meet the weapon
- Job 39:23 Or scimitar
- Job 39:24 Lit He swallows the ground
- Job 39:25 Lit he says, “Aha!”
- Job 40:2 Lit God respond to it
- Job 40:12 Lit wicked in their place
- Job 40:13 Lit together; bind their faces in the hidden place
- Job 40:21 Lit plants, in the hiding place
- Job 40:24 Lit capture it in its eyes
Job 39-40
New International Version
Job 39-40
New International Version
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats(A) give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?(B)
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?(C)
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
5 “Who let the wild donkey(D) go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland(E) as its home,
the salt flats(F) as its habitat.(G)
7 It laughs(H) at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.(I)
8 It ranges the hills(J) for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox(K) consent to serve you?(L)
Will it stay by your manger(M) at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?(N)
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?(O)
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.(P)
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.(Q)
16 She treats her young harshly,(R) as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.(S)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs(T) at horse and rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength(U)
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(V)
striking terror(W) with its proud snorting?(X)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(Y)
and charges into the fray.(Z)
22 It laughs(AA) at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(AB) rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear(AC) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(AD)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(AE) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(AF)
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?(AG)
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?(AH)
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag(AI) is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;(AJ)
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”(AK)
40 The Lord said to Job:(AL)
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty(AM) correct him?(AN)
Let him who accuses God answer him!”(AO)
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am unworthy(AP)—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.(AQ)
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer(AR)—
twice, but I will say no more.”(AS)
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:(AT)
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(AU)
8 “Would you discredit my justice?(AV)
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?(AW)
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,(AX)
and can your voice(AY) thunder like his?(AZ)
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.(BA)
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,(BB)
look at all who are proud and bring them low,(BC)
12 look at all who are proud(BD) and humble them,(BE)
crush(BF) the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;(BG)
shroud their faces in the grave.(BH)
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.(BI)
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made(BJ) along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.(BK)
16 What strength(BL) it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!(BM)
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.(BN)
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs(BO) like rods of iron.(BP)
19 It ranks first among the works of God,(BQ)
yet its Maker(BR) can approach it with his sword.(BS)
20 The hills bring it their produce,(BT)
and all the wild animals play(BU) nearby.(BV)
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds(BW) in the marsh.(BX)
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream(BY) surround it.
23 A raging river(BZ) does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan(CA) should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?(CB)
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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