Job 39
God asks Job if he has knowledge or control over the birth and behavior of wild animals such as goats, deer, wild asses, and rhinoceroses. God also questions whether Job can tame or command animals like the ostrich, horse, or hawk, highlighting their unique characteristics and abilities. The passage emphasizes God's power and wisdom in creating and governing the natural world, contrasting it with human limitations.
Do you know at what time the wild goats have given birth among the rocks, or do you observe the deer when they go into laborHave you numbered the months since their conception, and do you know at what time they gave birthThey bend themselves for their offspring, and they give birth, and they emit roarsTheir young are weaned and go out to feed; they depart and do not return to themWho has set the wild ass free, and who has released his bondsI have given a house in solitude to him, and his tabernacle is in the salted landHe despises the crowded city; he does not pay attention to the bellow of the tax collectorHe looks around the mountains of his pasture, and he searches everywhere for green plantsWill the rhinoceros be willing to serve you, and will he remain in your stallCan you detain the rhinoceros with your harness to plough for you, and will he loosen the soil of the furrows behind youWill you put your faith in his great strength, and delegate your labors to himWill you trust him to return to you the seed, and to gather it on your drying floorThe wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the heron, and of the hawkWhen she leaves eggs behind in the earth, will you perhaps warm them in the dustShe forgets that feet may trample them, or that the beasts of the field may shatter themShe is hardened against her young, as if they were not hers; she has labored in vain, with no fear compelling herFor God has deprived her of wisdom; neither has he given her understandingYet, when the time is right, she raises her wings on high; she ridicules the horse and his riderWill you supply strength to the horse, or envelope his throat with neighingWill you alarm him as the locusts do? His panic is revealed by the display of his nostrilsHe digs at the earth with his hoof; he jumps around boldly; he advances to meet armed menHe despises fear; he does not turn away from the swordAbove him, the quiver rattles, the spear and the shield shakeSeething and raging, he drinks up the earth; neither does he pause when the blast of the trumpet soundsWhen he hears the bugle, he says, "Ha!" He smells the battle from a distance, the exhortation of the officers, and the battle cry of the soldiersDoes the hawk grow feathers by means of your wisdom, spreading her wings towards the southWill the eagle lift herself up at your command and make her nest in steep placesShe dwells among the rocks, and she lingers among broken boulders and inaccessible cliffsFrom there, she looks for food, and her eyes catch sight of it from far awayHer young will drink blood, and wherever the carcass will be, she is there immediately
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