Job 38-41

New Catholic Bible

² “Who is this who obscures my intentions
    with words devoid of knowledge?
³ Gird up your loins now like a man.
    I will ask you questions,
    and you will give me the answers.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.
⁵ Who determined its measurements? Do you know?
    Who stretched out the measuring line over it?
⁶ What supports the pillars at its bases?
    Who laid its cornerstone
⁷ while the morning stars sang in unison
    and the sons of God shouted for joy?
⁸ “Who shut up the sea behind doors
    when it burst forth from the womb,
⁹ when I made the clouds its garment
    and wrapped it in thick darkness,
¹⁰ when I established bounds for it
    and set its barred doors in place,
¹¹ when I said, ‘This far may you come, but no farther;
    here is where your proud waves must halt’?

¹² “During your entire life have you ever commanded the morning to appear
    or caused the dawn to rise in the east
¹³ so that it might grasp the ends of the earth
    and shake the wicked from its surface?
¹⁴ She turns it like clay under a seal
    and dyes it as though it were a garment.
¹⁵ But light^[d] is withheld from the wicked,
    and their raised arm is broken.

¹⁶ “Have you ever descended to the depths of the sea
    and walked at the bottom of the abyss?
¹⁷ Have the gates of death been revealed to you
    or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
¹⁸ Have you comprehended the vast expanse of the earth?
    Tell me if you know all this.
¹⁹ “Can you point out the way to the dwelling of light
    and show the abode of darkness,
²⁰ so that you may assign each to its designated boundary
    and escort them on their homeward paths?
²¹ Surely you must know this,
    for you had already been born
    and the years of your life are beyond numbering!

^22 [f]“Have you entered the place where the snow is stored,
    or seen the storehouses of the hail,
²³ which I have reserved for times of distress,
    for the times of war and battle?
²⁴ Can you show me the place where lightning is dispersed
    or where the east wind is scattered over the earth?
²⁵ “Who has cut a channel for the downpour of rain
    and cleared a path for the thunderstorm
²⁶ so that rain may fall on uninhabited lands,
    on the wilderness devoid of human life,
²⁷ and thus reinvigorate the wastes and the desolate land,
    enabling grass to sprout on the thirsty ground?
²⁸ “Does the rain have a father?
    Who has begotten the drops of dew?
²⁹ Whose womb brings forth the ice?
    Who gives birth to the frost of heaven,
³⁰ causing a layer of stone to cover the waters
    and the surface of the earth to congeal?

³¹ “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
    or loosen the bonds of Orion?
³² Can you bring forth the constellations in their season
    or indicate which way to go to the Bear^[g] and its cubs?
³³ Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
    Can you put into effect their rule on the earth?
³⁴ “Can you raise up your voice to command the clouds
    to envelop you in a deluge of rain?
³⁵ Will flashes of lightning come forth at your command
    and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
³⁶ Who has endowed the heart with wisdom
    and given understanding to the mind?
³⁷ Who can number all the rain clouds
    and empty the cisterns of the heavens
³⁸ so that the dust solidifies into a thick mass
    and the clods of earth cling together?

³⁹ “Can you hunt prey for the lioness
    or satisfy the hunger of young lions
⁴⁰ while they crouch in their dens
    or lie in wait in the bushes?
⁴¹ Who provides the raven with prey
    when its little ones cry out to God
    in their need for sustenance?

¹ “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
    Have you ever observed deer in labor?
² Can you accurately number the months that they carry their young
    or know the time of their delivery
³ when they crouch down to give birth
    and deliver their offspring?
⁴ Once their fawns grow strong and become independent,
    they go forth on their own and do not return.

⁵ “Who has given the wild donkey its freedom?
    Who has untied its ropes?
⁶ I gave it the wastelands as its home
    and the salt flats for its dwelling.
⁷ It scorns the noise of the city;
    it is not forced to obey a driver’s shouted order.
⁸ The mountains are the pasture over which it ranges
    in search of any green foliage.
⁹ “Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
    Will it stay by your manger during the night?
¹⁰ Can you use ropes to harness its strength?
    Will it harrow the furrows after you?
¹¹ Can you depend upon its massive strength
    to do your heavy work?
¹² Can you rely upon it to return home
    and bring your grain to your threshing floor?

¹³ “The wings of an ostrich are ineffectual,
    since its pinions and its plumage are scanty.
¹⁴ It leaves its eggs on the ground
    and depends on the earth to warm them,
¹⁵ forgetting that a foot may crush them
    or that a wild animal may trample upon them.
¹⁶ It cruelly disowns its young
    as if they were not its own,
    unconcerned if its labor has been wasted.
¹⁷ For God has denied it wisdom
    and deprived it of understanding.
¹⁸ Yet with its swiftness of foot
    it leaves both horse and rider in the dust.
¹⁹ “Do you give the horse its strength?
    Have you clothed its neck with a mane?
²⁰ Do you make it leap like a locust,
    striking terror with its proud snorting?
²¹ It paws the plain jubilantly and prances
    as it charges the battle line with all its strength.
²² It laughs at fear and is frightened of nothing;
    it does not shy away when confronted with the sword.
²³ “The quiver rattles at its side;
    the spear and the javelin flash.
²⁴ Trembling with eagerness it eats up the ground,
    and when the trumpet sounds, there is no holding it back.
²⁵ At each blast of the trumpet it cries ‘Aha!’
    From afar it scents the battle,
    the shouts of the commanders, and the war cries.

²⁶ “Did your wisdom enable the hawk to soar
    as it spreads its wings toward the south?
²⁷ Does the eagle soar aloft at your command
    to build its nest on the lofty heights?
²⁸ It dwells on the cliff in security,
    spending its nights on a rocky crag.
²⁹ From there it watches for its prey;
    its eyes are able to behold it from afar.
³⁰ Its young ones hungrily drink the blood;
    wherever the slain are, it is there.”

² “Will the one who finds fault with the Almighty respond?
    Anyone who argues with God should state his case.”

⁴ “Since I am of little importance, how can I reply to you?
    I will simply place my hand over my mouth.
⁵ Although I have spoken once, I will not answer;
    I have spoken twice, but I will do so no more.”

⁷ “Gird up your loins like a man.
    I intend to put questions to you,
    and you must give me your answers.
⁸ Will you continue to deny that I am just?
    Will you condemn me in order to justify yourself?
⁹ Do you have an arm like that of God?
    Can your voice thunder as loudly as his?
¹⁰ “Display your majesty and grandeur;
    array yourself with glory and splendor.
¹¹ Unleash the fury of your wrath
    and humble the haughty with a glance.
¹² Look on all who are proud and shatter them;
    strike down the wicked where they stand.
¹³ Bury all of them in the earth^[m] together,
    and shroud their faces in an unknown grave.
¹⁴ Then I in turn will acknowledge to you
    that your own right hand is strong enough to save you.

¹⁵ “Look at Behemoth whom I made just as I made you;
    it feeds on grass like an ox.
¹⁶ Yet what strength it has in its loins
    and what power in the muscles of its body.
¹⁷ Its tail is as stiff as a cedar;
    the sinews of its thighs are tightly knit.
¹⁸ Its bones are like tubes of bronze,
    its limbs like rods of iron.
¹⁹ “It is the first of God’s works;
    only its Maker can control it with the sword.
²⁰ The mountains provide it with food,
    as do the wild animals that roam the hills.
²¹ It rests under the lotus trees
    as it lies hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
²² “The lotus trees afford it shade,
    and it is sheltered by the willows of the stream.
²³ Even if the river becomes turbulent,
    it does not become frightened;
it remains tranquil
    even if the waters rise up to its mouth.
²⁴ Who can blind its eyes and capture it
    or pierce its nose with a trap?

²⁵ “Can you catch Leviathan with a fishhook
    or tie a rope around its tongue?
²⁶ Can you put a rope through its nose
    or pierce its jaw with a hook?^[p]
27 Will it plead with you for mercy
    and address you with gentle words?
²⁸ Will it strike a bargain with you
    that will make it your servant forever?
²⁹ “Will you play with it as you would with a bird?
    Will you put it on a leash to amuse your maidens?
³⁰ Will traders bargain for it?
    Will merchants divide it up?
³¹ Can you riddle its hide with harpoons
    or its head with fishing spears?
³² If you ever should plan to lay a hand on it,
    first think of the struggle that awaits you,
    and then cease all such thoughts.

¹ “Any hope you have in this regard would be futile;
    just the mere sight of it would convince you to retreat.
² How ferocious it is when aroused!
    No one could ever stand up to confront it.^[q]
3 Who has attacked it and remained unscathed?
    There has never been anyone under the heavens.
⁴ “Nor will I keep silence about its limbs,
    or its strength, or its magnificent frame.
⁵ Who can strip off its outer garment
    or pierce the reinforced armor of its breastplate?
⁶ Who has ever managed to force open the doors of its mouth
    and beheld the teeth that leave one in terror?
⁷ “Rows of shields adorn its back
    and are tightly sealed together.
⁸ One presses so close to the next
    that no air can pass between them.
⁹ Each is so joined, one to another,
    that they hold fast and cannot be separated.
¹⁰ “When it sneezes, sprays of light^[r] flash forth,
    and its eyes are like the rays of the dawn.
¹¹ Fiery torches emerge from its mouth
    and sparks come flying out.
¹² Smoke issues forth from its nostrils
    as from a boiling pot on the fire.
¹³ Its breath sets coals ablaze,
    and flames pour forth from its mouth.
¹⁴ “Strength resides in its neck,
    causing terror to all who behold it.
¹⁵ The folds of its flesh are joined together,
    firmly set in place and immovable.
¹⁶ Its heart is as hard as stone,
    as unyielding as the lower millstone.
¹⁷ When it rears up, strong men become terrified,
    and the waves of the sea retreat.
¹⁸ “Even though the sword reaches it, there is no penetration,
    nor is there with the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
¹⁹ It regards iron as straw
    and bronze as rotting wood.
²⁰ No arrow can force it to flee;
    slingstones it regards as nothing but chaff.
²¹ To it a club is like a splinter,
    and it laughs at the javelins that are hurled at it.
²² “Its lower parts are protected with jagged potsherds,
    and it moves across the mire like a threshing sledge.
²³ It causes the depths to boil like a cauldron;
    it churns the sea like a pot of ointment.
²⁴ Behind it there is left a shining trail,
    and in its wake the deep appears to be white-haired.
²⁵ It has no equal upon the earth;
    it is a creature that is utterly fearless.
²⁶ It looks down upon all, even the highest;
    it is king over all wild beasts.”