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.
1But the Lord, responding to Job from a whirlwind, said2Who is this that wraps sentences in unskilled words3Gird your waist like a man. I will question you, and you must answer me4Where were you, when I set the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding5Who set its measurements, if you know, or who stretched a line over it6Upon what have its bases been grounded, and who set forth its cornerstone7when the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful noise8Who enclosed the sea with doors, when it broke forth as if issuing from the womb9when I stationed a cloud as its garment and wrapped it in a mist as if swaddling an infant10I encircled it with my limits, and I positioned its bars and doors11And I said: "This far you will approach, and you will proceed no further, and here you will break your swelling waves.12Did you, after your birth, command the birth of the sun and show the sunrise its place13And did you hold the extremities of the earth, shaking them, and have you shaken the impious out of it14The seal will be restored like clay, and it will remain in place like a garment15From the impious, the light will be taken away, and the exalted arm will be broken16Have you entered the depths of the sea, and have you taken a walk in the uttermost parts of the abyss17Have the gates of death been opened to you, and have you seen the doors of darkness18Have you considered the breadth of the earth? If you know all things, reveal them to me19Which is the way that holds the light, and which is the place of darkness20In this way, you might lead each thing to its final place, and understand the paths of its house21So then, did you know when you were to be born? And did you know the number of your days22Have you been admitted into the storehouses of the snows, and have you gazed upon the stockpile of the brimstone23which I have prepared for the time of the enemy, for the day of the battle and the war24In what way is the light scattered, and the heat distributed, over the earth25Who gave a course to the rainstorms, and a path to the resounding thunder26so that it would rain on the earth far from man, in the wilderness where no mortal lingers27so that it would fill impassable and desolate places, and would bring forth green plants28Who is the father of rain, or who conceived the drops of dew29From whose womb did the ice proceed, and who created the frost from the air30The waters are hardened to become like stone, and the surface of the abyss freezes over31Will you have the strength to join together the sparkling stars of the Pleiades, or are you able to disperse the circling of Arcturus32Can you bring forth the morning star, in its time, and make the evening star rise over the sons of the earth33Do you know the order of heaven, and can you explain its rules here on the earth34Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that an onslaught of waters will cover you35Can you send forth lightning bolts, and will they go, and on returning, say to you: "Here we are?36Who placed discernment in the guts of man, or who gave the rooster intelligence37Who can describe the rules of the heavens, or who can put to rest the harmony of heaven38When was the dust cast to become the earth, and when were its clods fastened together39Will you seize prey for the lioness, and will you sustain the lives of her young40as they rest in their dens or lie in wait in pits41Who 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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