Job 38
The Lord responds to Job from a whirlwind, questioning his understanding and knowledge of the creation of the earth, the universe, and the natural world. The Lord asks Job if he was present when the foundations of the earth were set, if he knows the measurements of the earth, and if he can control the forces of nature such as the sea, the sun, and the rain. The Lord also asks Job if he has the power to give life and sustenance to various creatures, including the lioness and her young, and the raven and its chicks.
But the Lord, responding to Job from a whirlwind, saidWho is this that wraps sentences in unskilled wordsGird your waist like a man. I will question you, and you must answer meWhere were you, when I set the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understandingWho set its measurements, if you know, or who stretched a line over itUpon what have its bases been grounded, and who set forth its cornerstonewhen the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful noiseWho enclosed the sea with doors, when it broke forth as if issuing from the wombwhen I stationed a cloud as its garment and wrapped it in a mist as if swaddling an infantI encircled it with my limits, and I positioned its bars and doorsAnd I said: "This far you will approach, and you will proceed no further, and here you will break your swelling waves.Did you, after your birth, command the birth of the sun and show the sunrise its placeAnd did you hold the extremities of the earth, shaking them, and have you shaken the impious out of itThe seal will be restored like clay, and it will remain in place like a garmentFrom the impious, the light will be taken away, and the exalted arm will be brokenHave you entered the depths of the sea, and have you taken a walk in the uttermost parts of the abyssHave the gates of death been opened to you, and have you seen the doors of darknessHave you considered the breadth of the earth? If you know all things, reveal them to meWhich is the way that holds the light, and which is the place of darknessIn this way, you might lead each thing to its final place, and understand the paths of its houseSo then, did you know when you were to be born? And did you know the number of your daysHave you been admitted into the storehouses of the snows, and have you gazed upon the stockpile of the brimstonewhich I have prepared for the time of the enemy, for the day of the battle and the warIn what way is the light scattered, and the heat distributed, over the earthWho gave a course to the rainstorms, and a path to the resounding thunderso that it would rain on the earth far from man, in the wilderness where no mortal lingersso that it would fill impassable and desolate places, and would bring forth green plantsWho is the father of rain, or who conceived the drops of dewFrom whose womb did the ice proceed, and who created the frost from the airThe waters are hardened to become like stone, and the surface of the abyss freezes overWill you have the strength to join together the sparkling stars of the Pleiades, or are you able to disperse the circling of ArcturusCan you bring forth the morning star, in its time, and make the evening star rise over the sons of the earthDo you know the order of heaven, and can you explain its rules here on the earthCan you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that an onslaught of waters will cover youCan you send forth lightning bolts, and will they go, and on returning, say to you: "Here we are?Who placed discernment in the guts of man, or who gave the rooster intelligenceWho can describe the rules of the heavens, or who can put to rest the harmony of heavenWhen was the dust cast to become the earth, and when were its clods fastened togetherWill you seize prey for the lioness, and will you sustain the lives of her youngas they rest in their dens or lie in wait in pitsWho provides the raven with its meal, when her chicks cry out to God, as they wander around because they have no food
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