Job 39-40

EasyEnglish Bible

⁹ Can you tell a wild ox to work for you?
    No! At night, it will not stay to feed at your farm.
¹⁰ It will not let you tie it to a plough.
    It will not agree to prepare your fields in the valleys.
¹¹ A wild ox is very strong.
    But you cannot trust it to help you with your difficult work.
¹² It will not help you to bring in your harvest of grain.
    It will not take the grain to your threshing floor.

¹³ When an ostrich is happy,
    it waves its wings.
But it cannot use its wings to fly,
    as a stork can do.
¹⁴ A mother ostrich leaves her eggs on the ground.
    She lets the sand cause them to be warm.
¹⁵ She does not realize that people or wild animals
    might break the eggs with their feet.
¹⁶ She does not take care of her babies,
    as if they did not belong to her.
She does not worry that all her work might be useless.
¹⁷ This is because I did not give wisdom to ostriches.
    I did not give them minds that understand things.
¹⁸ But when an ostrich begins to run,
    it can run very fast.
It can run faster than a horse
    and someone who rides on it.

¹⁹ Did you, Job, give horses their strength?
    Did you give them the long hair that they have on their necks?
²⁰ You did not make horses able to jump like locusts.
    They frighten people when they blow air out through their noses.
²¹ They stamp their feet on the ground,
    as they prepare to go to a battle.
    They are ready to go and attack the enemy.
²² A horse is brave and it is not afraid of anything.
    It does not run away from the enemy's weapons.
²³ The soldier who is riding it
    has his arrows ready at the horse's side.
Swords and spears shine brightly in the sun.
²⁴ The horse shakes with joy
    as it runs to the battle.
When the battle trumpet makes its noise,
    the horse wants to run even faster!^[b]
25 When it hears the sound of the trumpet,
    it makes a happy noise.
From far away, it recognizes the smell of the battle.
    It hears the army officers as they shout their commands.

²⁶ Was it your wisdom, Job, that taught hawks how to fly?
    No! You could not teach them to fly towards the south in winter.
²⁷ Do eagles wait for your command
    to fly high into the sky?
No! You could not teach them how to build their nests
    high up in the mountains.
²⁸ They live among the highest rocks.
    That is where they stay at night.
They are safe on the sharp rocks.
²⁹ From the high rocks,
    eagles look for their food.
They see small animals far away,
    that they can catch and eat.
³⁰ They come together around the bodies of dead animals.
    The young eagles drink the blood.’

² ‘Do you still want to argue with me, the Almighty God?
You say that I have not been fair.
Now you must explain what you mean.’

⁴ ‘I am only a foolish man.
    I cannot answer your questions.
I cover my mouth with my hand
    so that I say nothing.
⁵ I have already spoken too many times.
    I will say no more.’

⁷ ‘Prepare yourself for a difficult job!
I will ask you some more questions and you must answer them.

⁸ Do you say that I am not a fair judge?
Do you want to show that I am guilty, not you?
    Then you could say that you are right.
⁹ Do you have the same power to do great things as I have?
Can you speak with a voice as loud as thunder?
    I can!
¹⁰ If you think that you can do all this,
    show how great you are!
    Show everyone your power and your glory!
¹¹ Show everyone your great anger!
Look at all the people who like to boast
    and bring them down low!
¹² Yes, cause all the proud people to be humble.
    Knock down wicked people to the ground.
¹³ Bury them all together in the dust of the ground.
    Cover their faces and put them in their graves.
¹⁴ If you can do these things, Job,
    I will praise you.
I will agree that you have the power to save yourself.

¹⁵ Listen! I created the monsters called Behemoth.^[c]
    I made you and I made them too.
They eat grass, as cows do.
¹⁶ But look at the strength of their legs and their body!
¹⁷ Their tails are like the branches of a cedar tree.
    Their legs are thick and very strong.
¹⁸ Their bones are like sticks made of bronze.
    Their legs are as strong as iron.
¹⁹ These monsters are some of the greatest animals that I have made.
But I who made them can take my sword
    and go near to them.
²⁰ They eat the grass that grows on the hills.
    That is where the wild animals play.
²¹ They lie down under the thorn trees.
    They hide among the reeds at the edge of the water.
²² They rest in the shadow of the thorn trees,
    and among the willow trees beside the water.
²³ Even when the river is deep and dangerous,
    these monsters are not afraid.
The water of the Jordan River may cover their mouths,
    but they still feel safe.
²⁴ There is no way that anyone can catch one of them.
    No one can make its eyes blind.
    No one can put a ring in its nose and lead it away.’