Bible in 90 Days
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, and said,
2 “Power and fear are with Him Who makes peace in His places.
3 “Is there any number to His armies? And upon whom shall not His light arise?
4 “And how may a man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?
5 “Behold, He will give no light to the Moon. And the stars are unclean in His sight.
6 “How much less so is man (a maggot) and the son of man (a worm)?”
26 But Job answered, and said,
2 “Whom do you help who has no power? Do you save the arm that has no strength?
3 “Whom do you counsel who has no wisdom? Whom do you show right in abundance?
4 “To whom do you declare these words? Or whose spirit comes out of you?
5 “The dead things are formed under the waters, and near to them.
6 “The grave is naked before Him, and there is no covering for destruction.
7 “He stretches out the North over the empty place, and hangs the Earth upon nothing.
8 “He binds the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not broken under them.
9 “He holds back the face of His throne, and spreads His cloud upon it.
10 “He has set bounds around the waters, until the day and night come to an end.
11 “The pillars of Heaven tremble and quake at His reproof.
12 “The sea is calm by His power, and by His understanding He strikes its pride.
13 “His Spirit has garnished the heavens. His Hand has formed the crooked serpent.
14 “Lo, these are part of His ways. But how little a portion we hear of Him? And who can understand His fearful power?”
27 Moreover, Job proceeded and continued his parable, saying,
2 “The living God has taken away my judgment. For the Almighty has put my soul in bitterness.
3 “Yet, so long as my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God in my nostrils,
4 “my lips shall surely speak no wickedness. And my tongue shall utter no deceit.
5 “Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die, I will never take away my innocence from myself.
6 “I will keep my righteousness and will not forsake it. My heart shall not reprove me of my days.
7 “My enemy shall be as the wicked and he who rises against me as the unrighteous.
8 “For what hope has the hypocrite when he has heaped up riches if God take away his soul?
9 “Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?
10 “Will he set his delight on the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?
11 “I will teach you by the Hand of God. I will not conceal that which is with the Almighty.
12 “Behold, all you yourselves have seen it. Why, then, do you act with such complete frivolity?
13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage that tyrants shall receive from the Almighty.
14 “If his children are in great number, the sword shall destroy them, and his posterity shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 “His remnant shall be buried in death. And his widows shall not weep.
16 “Though he should heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay,
17 “he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on. And the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 “He builds his house as the moth, and as a booth which the watchman makes.
19 “When the rich man sleeps, he shall not be gathered. They opened their eyes, and he was gone.
20 “Terrors shall take him as waters. A tempest shall carry him away by night.
21 “The east wind shall take him away, and he shall depart. And it shall hurl him out of his place
22 “and shall cast upon him and not spare. He flees desperately from its hand.
23 “Men shall clap their hands at him, and hiss at him out of their place.”
28 “Silver surely has its vein, and gold its refining place.
2 “Iron is taken out of the dust, and copper is smelted out of the stone.
3 “God sets an end to darkness, and He tests the perfection of all things. He sets a bond of darkness and of the shadow of death.
4 “The torrent breaks out against the sojourner, forgotten by the foot. They hang lower than man, gone far away.
5 “Out of the same earth comes bread. And under it, as it were, fire is turned up,
6 “its stones a place of sapphires, and the dust of it gold.
7 “There is a path which no bird has known, nor has the kite’s eye seen it.
8 “The lion’s whelps have not walked it, nor the lion passed by it.
9 “He puts His Hand upon the rocks and overthrows the mountains by the roots.
10 “He breaks rivers in the roots, and His Eye sees every precious thing.
11 “He binds the rivers, so that they do not overflow. And the thing that is hidden He brings to light.
12 “But where is wisdom found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 “Man does not know its price. For it is not found in the land of the living.
14 “The depth says, ‘It is not in me.’ The sea also says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 “Gold shall not be given for it, nor shall silver be weighed for its price.
16 “It shall not be valued with the wedge of gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 “Neither gold nor crystal shall be equal to it, nor shall it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.
18 “No mention shall be made of coral or of the gabish. For wisdom is more precious than pearls.
19 “The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it, nor shall it be valued with the wedge of pure gold.
20 “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding,
21 “seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all the living, and is hidden from the birds of the heaven?
22 “Destruction and death say, ‘We have heard of its fame with our ears.’
23 “God understands its way. And He knows its place.
24 “For He beholds the ends of the world, sees all that is under Heaven,
25 “to make the weight of the winds and to weigh the waters by measure.
26 “When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunders,
27 “then He saw it and counted it. He prepared it and also considered it.
28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the LORD is wisdom. And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
29 So Job proceeded, and continued his parable, saying,
2 “Oh that I were as in times past, when God preserved me,
3 “when His light shined upon my head! By His light I walked through the darkness,
4 “as I was in the days of my youth, when God’s providence was upon my tabernacle,
5 “when the Almighty was still with me, and my children all around me,
6 “when I washed my paths with butter, and when the rock poured out rivers of oil for me.
7 “When I went out to the gate, to the judgment seat, I caused them to prepare my seat in the street.
8 “The young men saw me and hid themselves. And the aged arose, stood up.
9 “The princes stopped talking and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 “The voice of princes was hidden, and their tongue clung to the roof of their mouth.
11 “And when the ear heard me, it blessed me. And when the eye saw, it gave witness to me.
12 “For I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless, and him who had no one to help him.
13 “The blessing of him who was ready to perish came upon me. And I caused the widow’s heart to rejoice.
14 “I put on justice, and it covered me, my judgment as a robe and a crown.
15 “I was the eyes to the blind, and I was the feet to the lame.
16 “I was a father to the poor, and I did not know the cause. I sought it out diligently.
17 “I also broke the jaws of the unrighteous man and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
18 “Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply days as the sand.
19 ‘My root is spread out by the water, and the dew shall lie upon my branch.
20 ‘My glory shall renew toward me, and my bow shall be restored in my hand.’
21 “Men gave ear to me, and waited, and held their tongue at my counsel.
22 “After my words they did not reply, and my talk dropped upon them.
23 “And they waited for me, as for the rain. And they opened their mouth as for the latter rain.
24 “I laughed at them. They did not believe it. Nor did they cause the light of my countenance to fall.
25 “I pointed out their way, and sat as chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, like him who comforts the mourners.”
30 “But now, those who are younger than me, mock me, those whose fathers I have refused to set with the dogs of my flocks.
2 “For how should the strength of their hands have served me? Vigor perished in them.
3 “They were hard from poverty and famine, fleeing into the wilderness, dark, desolate and waste.
4 “They cut up nettles by the bushes, and the juniper root was their food.
5 “They were chased forth from among men. They shouted at them, as at a thief.
6 “Therefore they dwelt in the clefts of rivers, in the holes of the earth and rocks.
7 “They roared among the bushes, and under the thistles they gathered themselves.
8 “They were the children of fools, and the children of villains, who were scourged from the Earth.
9 “And now am I their song, and I am their talk.
10 “They abhor me, flee far from me, and do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11 “Because He has loosed His cord and humbled me. They have loosed the bridle before me.
12 “The youth rise up at my right hand. They have pushed away my feet and have built upon me the paths of their destruction.
13 “They have destroyed my paths. They took pleasure in my calamity. They had no help.
14 “They came as a great breach. Under this calamity they come in waves.
15 “Fear is turned upon me. They pursue my soul as the wind, and my health passes away as a cloud.
16 “Therefore my soul is now poured out upon me. And the days of affliction have taken hold on me.
17 “It pierces my bones in the night, and my sinews take no rest.
18 “Through great force is my garment changed, surrounding me as the collar of my coat.
19 “He has cast me into the mire, and I have become like ashes and dust.
20 “When I cry to You, You do not hear me. Nor do You regard me when I stand up.
21 “You turn Yourself cruelly against me and oppose me with the strength of Your Hand.
22 “You take me up, cause me to ride upon the wind, and make my strength fail.
23 “Surely I know that You will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all the living.
24 “Yet does not one still stretch his hand from the grave, though he cries in His destruction?
25 “Did not I weep with him who was in trouble? Was not my soul in heaviness for the poor?
26 “Yet when I looked for good, evil came to me. And when I waited for light, there came darkness.
27 “My bowels boiled without rest. The days of affliction have come upon me.
28 “I went mourning, without Sun. I stood up in the Congregation and cried.
29 “I am a brother to the jackals, and a companion to the ostriches.
30 “My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burnt with heat.
31 “Therefore, my harp becomes mourning, and my organs the voice of those who weep.”
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes. Why, then, should I look upon a maid?
2 “What portion is of God from above, and inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 “Is it not destruction to the wicked, and strange calamity to the workers of iniquity?
4 “Does He not behold my ways, and tell all my steps,
5 “if I have walked in vanity or if my foot has hurried to deceit?
6 “Let God weigh me in the just balance, and He shall know my uprightness.
7 “If my step has turned out of the way, or my heart has walked after my eye, or if any blot has clung to my hands,
8 “let me sow, and let another eat. Yea, let my plants be rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at the door of my neighbor,
10 “let my wife grind to another man, and let other men bow down upon her.
11 “For this is a wickedness, and iniquity, to be condemned.
12 “Yea, this is a fire that shall devour to destruction, and which shall root out all my increase.
13 “If I contemned the judgment of my servant, and of my maid, when they contended with me,
14 “what then shall I do when God stands up? And when He shall visit, what shall I answer?
15 “He Who has made me in the womb, has He not made him? Has not He alone fashioned us in the womb?
16 “If I kept the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 “or have eaten my morsels alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of them
18 “(for from my youth has he grown up with me, as with a father, and from my mother’s womb have I been a guide to her).
19 “If I have seen any perish for lack of clothing, or any poor without covering,
20 “if his loins have not thanked me because he was warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 “if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless when I saw that I might help him in the gate,
22 “let my arm fall from my shoulder, and my arm be broken from the bone.
23 “For God’s punishment is fearful to me, and I could not be delivered from His Highness.
24 “If I made gold my hope, or have said to the wedge of gold, ‘You are my confidence,’
25 “if I rejoiced because my substance was great, or because my hand had gotten much,
26 “if I beheld the Sun when it shined, or the Moon walking in brightness,
27 “if my heart flattered me in secret, or if my mouth kissed my hand,
28 “(this also had been an iniquity to be condemned, for I had denied the God above),
29 “if I rejoiced at his destruction who hated me, or was moved to joy when evil came upon him
30 “(no, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by wishing a curse on his soul),
31 “have the men of my Tabernacle not said, ‘Who has not been satisfied with his food?’
32 “The stranger did not lodge in the street. I opened my doors to him who went by the way.
33 “I have hidden my sins, as Adam, concealing my iniquity in my bosom.
34 “Though I feared a great multitude, yet the most contemptible of the families feared me. So I kept silent, and did not go out of the door.
35 “Oh that I had someone to hear me! Behold, my sign that the Almighty will witness for me. Though my adversary would write a book,
36 “would not I take it upon my shoulder and bind it as a crown to me?
37 “I will tell him the number of my goings, and go to him as to a prince.
38 “If my land cries against me, or its furrows complain together,
39 “if I have eaten its fruits without silver, or I have grieved the souls of its masters,
40 “let thistles grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed in the place of barley.” THE WORDS OF JOB ARE ENDED.
32 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he esteemed himself just.
2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the [b]Buzite, of the family of Ram, was kindled. His wrath was kindled against Job, because he justified himself more than God.
3 Also, his anger was kindled against his three friends, because they could not find an answer, yet condemned Job.
4 (Now Elihu had waited until Job had spoken. For they were older than he.)
5 So when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his wrath was kindled.
6 Therefore, Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said, “I am young in years, and you are ancient. Therefore, I doubted and was afraid to show you my opinion.
7 “I said, ‘The days shall speak. And the multitude of years shall teach wisdom.’
8 “Surely, there is a spirit in man. But the inspiration of the Almighty gives understanding.
9 “Men of many years may not be wise, nor might the aged understand judgment.
10 “Therefore, I say, hear me. I will show my opinion also.
11 “Behold, I waited upon your words, listened to your knowledge, while you sought out reasons.
12 “Yea, when I had considered you, lo, there were none of you that reproved Job, nor answered his words.
13 “Lest you would say, ‘We have found wisdom. God has cast him down, not man.’
14 “Still, he has not directed his words to me. Nor will I answer him by your words.”
15 “They, fearing, answered no more, but left off their talk.
16 “When I had waited (for they did not speak, but stood still and answered no more),
17 “I answered in my turn, and I showed my opinion.
18 “For I am full of matter. The spirit within me compels me.
19 “Behold, my belly is as the wine which has no vent, like the new bottles that burst.
20 “I will speak, so that I may take breath. I will open my lips and will answer.
21 “I will not, now, accept the person of any man, nor will I give titles to man.
22 “For I may not give titles, lest my Maker should take me away suddenly.”
33 “Therefore, Job, please hear my talk and listen to all my words.
2 “Behold, now, I have opened my mouth. My tongue has spoken in my mouth.
3 “My words are in the uprightness of my heart. And my lips shall speak pure knowledge.
4 “The Spirit of God has made me. And the breath of the Almighty has given me life.
5 “If you can give me an answer, prepare yourself. Stand before me.
6 “Behold, I am as your mouth before God. I am also formed from the clay.
7 “Behold, my terror shall not scare you, nor shall my hand be heavy upon you.
8 “Doubtless you have spoken in my ears, and I have heard the voice of your words.
9 “I am clean, without sin. I am innocent and there is no iniquity in me.
10 “Lo, He has found occasions against me, and counted me for His enemy.
11 “He has put my feet in the stocks, and looks narrowly to all my paths.
12 “Behold, in this you have not done right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.
13 “Why do you strive against Him? For He does not give account of all His matters.
14 “For God speaks once or twice, and one does not see it.
15 “In dreams and visions of the night, when sleep falls upon men, and they sleep upon beds,
16 “then He opens the ears of men, even by their corrections which He had sealed,
17 “so that He might cause man to turn away from his enterprise, and that He might hide the pride of man,
18 “and keep back his soul from the pit, and that his life should not pass by the sword.
19 “He is also stricken with sorrow upon his bed, and the grief of his bones is great,
20 “so that his life causes him to abhor bread, and his soul desirable food.
21 “His flesh fails, so that it cannot be seen. And his bones, which were not seen, clatter.
22 “So his soul draws to the grave, and his life to the executioner.
23 “If there is a messenger with him, an interpreter, one of a thousand to declare to man his righteousness,
24 “then He will have mercy upon him, and will say, ‘Deliver him, so that he does not go down into the pit. For I have received a reconciliation.’
25 “Then shall his flesh be as fresh as a child’s, and shall return as in the days of his youth.
26 “He shall pray to God, and he will be favorable to Him, and he shall see His Face with joy. For He will render to man His righteousness.
27 “He looks upon men. And if one says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted righteousness, and it did not profit me,’
28 “He will deliver his soul from going into the pit. And his life shall see the light.
29 “Lo, all these things will God work twice or three times with a man,
30 “so that He may turn back his soul from the pit, to be illuminated in the light of the living.
31 “Mark well, O Job. Hear me! Keep silent, and I will speak.
32 “If there is something, answer me, and speak. For I desire to justify you.
33 “If you have nothing, hear me. Hold your tongue, and I will teach you wisdom.”
34 Moreover Elihu answered and said,
2 “Hear my words, you wise men. And listen to me, you who have knowledge.
3 “For the ear tests the words, as the mouth tastes food.
4 “Let us seek judgment among us. And let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, and God has taken away my judgment.
6 Should I lie regarding my right? My wound of the arrow is grievous, though without my sin.
7 “What man is like Job, who drinks scornfulness like water,
8 “who goes in the company of those who work iniquity, and walks with wicked men?
9 “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should walk with God.’
10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of wisdom. Far be it from God to do wickedness, or that there is iniquity in the Almighty.
11 “For He will render to man according to his work, and cause everyone to find it according to his way.
12 “And certainly God will not do wickedly. Nor will the Almighty pervert judgment.
13 “Whom has He appointed over the Earth besides Himself? Or who has made the whole world?
14 “If He sets His Heart upon it, and gathers to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
15 “all flesh shall perish together, and man shall return to dust.
16 “And if you have understanding, hear this. Listen to the voice of my words.
17 “Shall he who hates judgment, govern? And will you judge Him wicked Who is most just?
18 “Will you say to a king, ‘You are wicked,’ or to princes, ‘You are ungodly?’
19 “How much less to Him Who does not accept the persons of princes or regard the rich more than the poor? For they are all the work of His Hands.
20 “They shall die suddenly. And the people shall be troubled at midnight. And they shall pass forth and take away the mighty without power.
21 “For His Eyes are upon the ways of man, and He sees all his goings.
22 “There is no darkness or shadow of death, in which the workers of iniquity might be hidden.
23 “For He will not lay on man so much that he would enter into judgment with God.
24 “He shall break the mighty without seeking and shall set up others in their place.
25 “Therefore, He shall declare their works. He shall turn the night, and they shall be destroyed.
26 “He strikes them as wicked men, in the places of the seers,
27 “because they have turned back from Him, and would not consider all His ways,
28 “so that they have caused the voice of the poor to come to Him. And He has heard the cry of the afflicted.
29 “And when He gives quietness, who can make trouble? And when He hides His Face, who can behold Him, whether upon nations or upon a single man,
30 “so that the hypocrite does not reign and ensnare the people.
31 “Surely it is like God to say, ‘I have pardoned, I will not destroy.’
32 “So, if I do not see, teach me. If I have done wickedly, I will do no more.
33 “Yet, will He perform the thing through you simply because you have reproved it? You must choose, and not me. Therefore, say what you know.
34 “Let men of understanding tell me. And let a wise man listen to me.
35 “Job has not spoken of knowledge, nor were his words according to wisdom.
36 “I desire that Job may be tested to the utmost, because his answers are for wicked men!
37 “For he adds rebellion to his sin. He claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.”
35 Elihu spoke more, and said,
2 “Do you think this right, that you have said, ‘I am more righteous than God’?
3 “For you have said, ‘What does it profit You, and what does it avail me, to purge me from my sin?’
4 “I will answer you, and your companions with you.
5 “Look to the heaven and see and behold that the clouds are higher than you.
6 “If you sin, what have you done against Him? Indeed, when your sins are many, what have you done to Him?
7 “If you are righteous, what do you give to Him, or what does He receive from your hand?
8 “Your wickedness is for a man such as you, and your righteousness for a son of man.
9 “They cause many who are oppressed to cry, cry out for the violence of the mighty.
10 “But no one says, ‘Where is God Who made me, Who gives songs in the night,
11 ‘Who teaches us more than the beasts of the Earth, and gives us more wisdom than the birds of the heaven?’
12 “Then they cry because of the violence of the wicked. But He does not answer.
13 “Surely God will not hear vanity, nor will the Almighty regard it.
14 “Although you say, ‘You will not regard it’, judgment is still before Him. Trust in Him.
15 “But now, because His anger has not visited or called the evil to account with great extremity,
16 “therefore Job opens his mouth in vain, and multiplies words without knowledge.”
36 Elihu also proceeded and said,
2 “Bear with me a little and I will instruct you. For there is still more to speak on God’s behalf.
3 “I will fetch my knowledge from far off and will attribute righteousness to my Maker.
4 “For truly my words shall not be false. He who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5 “Behold, the mighty God casts away no one who is mighty and valiant of courage.
6 “He does not maintain the wicked, but He gives justice to the afflicted.
7 “He does not withdraw His Eyes from the righteous. But they are with kings on the throne, where He places them forever. Thus they are exalted.
8 “And if they are bound in chains, tied with the cords of affliction,
9 “then He will show them their work and their sins, because they have been proud.
10 “He also opens their ear to discipline, and commands them to return from iniquity.
11 “If they obey and serve Him, they shall end their days in goodness, and their years in pleasures.
12 “But if they will not obey, they shall perish by the sword and die without knowledge.
13 “But the hypocrites of heart increase the wrath. They do not call out when He binds them.
14 “Their soul dies in youth, and their life among the whoremongers.
15 “He delivers the poor in His afflictions, and opens their ear in trouble.
16 “Even so would He have taken you out of the straight place into a broad place, without constraint. And that which rests upon your table would have been full of fatness.
17 “But you are full of the judgment of the wicked, judgment and justice grasp you
18 “because of wrath, lest He should take you away with a stroke. For no multitude of gifts can deliver you.
19 “Will He regard your riches or all those who excel in strength?
20 “Do not long for the night, when people go up from their place.
21 “Take heed. Do not look to iniquity. For you have chosen it rather than affliction.
22 “Behold, God exalts by His power. What teacher is like Him?
23 “Who has appointed to Him His way? Or who can say, ‘You have done wickedly’?
24 “Remember that you magnify His work, which men behold.
25 “All men see it, and men behold it far off.
26 “Behold, God is excellent, and we do not know Him. Nor can the number of His years be searched out.
27 “For He restrains the drops of water that the rain pours down by its vapor,
28 “which rain the clouds drop and let fall abundantly upon man.
29 “Who can know the divisions of the clouds, the noise of His Tabernacle?
30 “Behold, He spreads His light upon it, and covers the bottom of the sea.
31 “For by them He judges the people and gives food abundantly.
32 “He covers His Hands with lightning, and commands it to strike.
33 “The roar reveals it, and also the cattle, concerning its rising.”
37 “At this, also, my heart is astonished, and is moved out of its place.
2 “Hear the sound of His voice, and the noise that goes out of His Mouth.
3 “He directs it under the whole heaven, and His light to the ends of the world.
4 “After it, a noise sounds. He thunders with the Voice of His majesty. And He will not stop them when His Voice is heard.
5 “God thunders marvelously with His Voice. He works great things which we do not know.
6 “For He says to the snow, ‘Be upon the Earth,’ likewise to the small rain and to the great rain of His power.
7 “With its force He shuts up every man, so that all men may know His work.
8 “Then the beasts go into the den and remain in their places.
9 “The whirlwind comes out of the South, and the cold from the North wind.
10 “At the breath of God the frost is given and the breadth of the waters is made narrow.
11 “He also makes the clouds labor to water, and scatters the cloud with His light.
12 “And it is turned by His guidance, so that they may do whatever He commands them upon the whole world.
13 “Whether it be for punishment, or for His land, or from mercy, He causes it to come.
14 “Listen to this, O Job! Stand and consider the wondrous works of God.
15 “Do you know when God placed them, and caused the light of His cloud to shine?
16 “Have you known the variety of the cloud, the wondrous works of Him Who is perfect in knowledge,
17 “how your clothes are warm when He makes the Earth quiet through the South wind?
18 “Have you stretched out the heavens, which are strong as a molten glass?
19 “Tell us what we shall say to Him. We cannot arrange anything because of darkness.
20 “Shall it be told to Him when I speak? Or shall man speak when he shall be destroyed?
21 “And now men do not see the light which shines in the clouds, but the wind passes and cleanses them.
22 “The brightness comes out of the North, the praise to God, which is terrible.
23 “The Almighty: we cannot find him. Excellent in power and judgment, and abundant in justice, He does not afflict.
24 “Therefore, let men fear him. He will not regard any who are wise in their own heart.”
38 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
2 “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 “Now gird up your loins, like a man. I will demand of you, and you declare to Me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth? Declare, if you have understanding.
5 “Who has laid its measures, if you know. Or who has stretched the line over it.
6 “Upon what are its foundations set. Or who laid its cornerstone
7 “when the stars of the morning praised together, and all the children of God rejoiced?
8 “Or who has shut up the sea with doors, when it issued and came forth as out of the womb,
9 “when I made the clouds as its covering, and darkness as its swaddling bands,
10 “when I established My Commandment upon it, and set bars and doors,
11 “and said, ‘To here shall you come, but no further. And here shall it stop your proud waves’?
12 “Have you ever commanded the morning in all your life? Have you caused the morning to know its place,
13 “so that it might take hold of the corners of the Earth, and so that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
14 “It is turned, as clay under a seal. And all stand up as a garment.
15 “And their light shall be withheld from the wicked, and the raised arm shall be broken.
16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked to seek out the depths?
17 “Have the gates of death been opened to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
18 “Have you perceived the breadth of the Earth? Tell if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way where light dwells? And where is the place of darkness,
20 “so that you should receive it in its bounds, and so that you should know the paths to its house?
21 “Did you know it because you were alive then, and the number of your days is great?
22 “Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? Or have you seen the treasures of the hail
23 “which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of war and battle?
24 “By what way is the light parted which scatters the East wind upon the Earth?
25 “Who has divided the spouts for the rain, or the way for the lightning of the thunders,
26 “to cause it to rain on the Earth where no man is, and in the wilderness where there is no man,
27 “to satisfy the wild and waste place, and to cause the bud of the herb to spring forth?
28 “Who is the father of the rain? Or who has begotten the drops of the dew?
29 “Out of whose womb came the ice? Who has borne the frost of the heaven?
30 “The waters are hidden as a stone, and the face of the depth is frozen.
31 “Can you restrain the sweet influences of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
32 “Can you bring forth Mazzaroth in their time? Can you also guide Arcturus with his sons?
33 “Do you know the course of heaven, or can you set its rule on the Earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that the abundance of water may cover you?
35 “Can you send the lightning so that it may walk, and say to you, ‘Lo, here we are’?
36 “Who has put wisdom in the core? Or who has given the heart understanding?
37 “Who can number clouds by wisdom? Or who can cause the bottles of heaven to cease
38 “when the Earth grows into hardness, and the clots hold together?”
39 “Will you hunt the prey for the lion? Or fill the appetite of the lion’s whelps
2 “when they crouch in their places, and remain in the lair to lie in wait?
3 “Who provides game for the raven when its offspring cry to God, and wander for lack of food?
4 “Do you know the time when the wild goats bring forth young? Do you mark when the hinds calve?
5 “Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bring forth?
6 “They bow themselves. They bruise their young and cast out their sorrows.
7 “Their young grow fat and grow up with grain. They go forth and do not return to them.
8 “Who has set the wild donkey at liberty? Or who has loosed the bonds of the wild donkey,
9 “who has made the wilderness his house, and the salt places his dwellings?
10 He derides the multitude of the city. He does not hear the cry of the driver.
11 “He seeks out the mountain for his pasture, and searches after every green thing.
12 “Will the wild ox serve you? Or will he wait by your crib?
13 “Can you bind the wild ox with his band in the furrow? Or will he plow the valleys after you?
14 “Will you trust in him, because his strength is great, and cast off your labor to him?
15 “Will you believe in him, that he will bring home your seed and gather it into your barn?
16 “Did you give the pleasant wings to the peacocks, or wings and feathers to the ostrich,
17 “which leaves its eggs in the earth, and makes them warm in the dust,
18 “and forgets that the foot might scatter them, or that the wild beast might break them?
19 “She shows herself cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers. Yet, she is without concern, though she travailed in vain.
20 “For God has deprived her of wisdom and has given her no part of understanding.
21 “When time, she mounts on high. She mocks the horse and its rider.
22 “Have you given the horse strength, covered its neck with a mane?
23 “Have you made him afraid, as the grasshopper? His strong snorting is fearful.
24 “He digs in the valley and rejoices in strength. He goes forth to meet the armoured.
25 “He mocks at fear, and is not afraid, and does not turn back from the sword.
26 “The quiver rattles against him and the glittering spear and the shield.
27 “He swallows the ground from fierceness and rage, and he does not believe that it is the noise of the trumpet.
28 “He says among the trumpets, ‘Ha, ha!’ He smells the battle far off, and the noise of the captains, and the shouting.
29 “Shall the hawk fly by your wisdom, his wings toward the South?
30 “Does the eagle mount up at your commandment, or make his nest on high?
31 “She abides and remains in the rock, upon the top of the rock, and the tower.
32 “From there she spies for food. Her eyes look far away.
33 “Her young ones also suck up blood. And where the slain are, there she is.”
34 Moreover the LORD spoke to Job, and said,
35 “Shall he who strives with the Almighty instruct? He who reproves God, let him answer for it.”
36 Then Job answered the LORD, saying,
37 “Behold, I am vile. What shall I answer You? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
38 “I have spoken once, but I will answer no more. Indeed, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
40 Again the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
2 “Now gird up your loins, like a man. I will demand of you, and you answer Me.
3 “Will you nullify My judgment? Will you condemn Me, so that you may be justified?
4 “Or do you have an Arm like God? Or do you thunder with a voice like Him?
5 “Deck yourself, now, with majesty and excellency, and array yourself with beauty and glory.
6 “Cast abroad the indignation of your wrath, and behold everyone who is proud, and humble him.
7 “Look upon everyone who is arrogant. Bring him low and destroy the wicked in their place.
8 “Hide them in the dust together. Bind their faces in a secret place.
9 “Then I will confess to you, also, so that your right hand can save you.
10 “Behold, now, Behemoth (whom I made along with you) which eats grass as an ox.
11 “Behold, now, his strength in his loins, and his force in the navel of his belly.
12 “He takes pleasure in his tail, which is like a cedar. The sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
13 “His bones are like tubes of copper, his small bones like bars of iron.
14 “He is the chief of the ways of God. He Who made him will make his sword approach Him.
15 “Surely the mountains bring him forth grass, where all the beasts of the field play.
16 “He lies under the trees, in the covert of reed and marsh.
17 “The trees cover him with their shadow. The willows of the river surround him.
18 “Behold, he drinks up the river and does not hurry. He trusts that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
19 “He takes it with his eyes and thrusts his nose through whatever meets him.
20 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, and with a line which you shall cast down into his tongue?
21 “Can you cast a hook into his nose? Can you pierce his jaws with an angle?
22 “Will he make many prayers to you and speak softly to you?
23 “Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever?
24 “Will you play with him, as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your maids?
25 “Shall the companions banquet with him? Shall they divide him among the merchants?
26 “Can you fill the basket with his skin? Or the fishing spear with his head?
27 “Lay your hand upon him. Remember the battle. And do no more so!
28 “Behold, his hope is in vain. Shall one not perish even at the sight of him?”
41 “No one is so fierce who dares stir him up. Who, then, is he who can stand before Me?
2 “Who has preceded Me that I should appease? All under heaven is Mine.
3 “I will not keep silent concerning his parts, or his power, or his comely proportion.
4 “Who can discover the face of his garment? Who shall come to him with a double bridle?
5 “Who shall open the doors of his face? His teeth are fearful all around.
6 “The majesty of his scales is like strong shields and are sure-sealed.
7 “One is so near to another, so that no wind can come between them.
8 “One is joined to another. They stick together, so that they cannot be parted.
9 “His sneezes make the light shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
10 “Out of his mouth go lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.
11 “Out of his nostrils comes out smoke, as out of a boiling pot or caldron.
12 “His breath makes the coals burn, for a flame goes out of his mouth.
13 “In his neck remains strength, and labor is rejected before his face.
14 “The members of his body are joined. They are strong in themselves and cannot be moved.
15 “His heart is as strong as a stone, and as hard as the lower millstone.
16 “The mighty are afraid of his majesty. They faint in themselves for fear.
17 “When the sword touches him, he will not rise up. Nor for the spear, dart or javelin.
18 “He esteems iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.
19 “The archer cannot make him flee. The stones of the sling are turned into stubble to him.
20 “The darts are counted as straw, and he laughs at the shaking of the spear.
21 “Sharp stones are under him, and he spreads sharp things upon the mire.
22 “He makes the depth boil like a pot, and makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
23 “He makes a path shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair.
24 “There is no one like him on the Earth. He is made without fear.
25 “He beholds all high things. He is a king over all the children of pride.”
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