^38:1Then the Lord answered Job from the storm, saying: 
²(Who is this that obscures the intent, 
 Using words without knowledge?) 
³Gird your loins like a stouthearted man; 
 I will ask and you will answer. 
⁴Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? 
 Answer me that if you have your wits. 
⁵Who determined its measure, if you know, 
 And who stretched out the builder's line? 
⁶Wherein are its pillars sunk 
 And who laid the cornerstone 
⁷When the morning stars sang together 
 And all the angels shouted for joy? 

⁸Who shut the sea behind double doors 
 When it burst from the womb, 
⁹When I wrapped it in mist 
 And swaddled it with thick clouds, 
¹⁰When I broke out its limit 
 And set the bar to its gate, saying, 
¹¹"This far you may come and no further; 
  Here your proud waves shall halt"? 

¹²Have you roused the morning in your day 
  And assigned the dawn its place, 
¹³That it might catch the skirt of the earth 
  And shake the wicked from it? 
¹⁴Then the land is changed as clay under the seal 
  Or like a garment that is dyed. 
¹⁵But the wicked are robbed of their light; 
  The Arm on high is shivered in the dogstar night. 

¹⁶Have you come to the springs of the sea 
  Or walked in the caverns of the deep? 
¹⁷Have the Gates of Death been revealed to you? 
  Have you seen the Guards of Darkness? 
¹⁸Have you surveyed the breadth of the earth? 
  Tell me if you know all these things. 
¹⁹What path leads to the abode of light 
  And where does darkness dwell 
²⁰That you might lead it to its outer bounds 
  And show it the way home again? 
²¹Surely you know, for you were born then 
  And the number of your days is great! 

²²Have you been to the storehouses of snow 
  Or seen the hail treasured up, 
²³Reserved against the time of trouble, 
  The day of battle and war? 

²⁴How are the upper waters dispersed, 
  The fresh water spread upon the earth? 
²⁵Who cut a sluice for the heavy rains, 
  A channel for the thundershower, 
²⁶To bring rain to an uninhabited land, 
  To the desert where no man lives, 
²⁷To satisfy the desolate waste 
  And make the grass grow on the thirsty ground? 

²⁸Has the rain a father 
  And who begets the dew? 
²⁹From whose womb comes the ice 
  And who is mother to the hoarfrost of heaven 
³⁰When the waters harden like stone 
  And the face of the deep freezes? 

³¹Can you narrow the bounds of the Pleiades 
  Or loose the bands of the Fool? 
³²Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth in its season 
  Or guide the Bear with her Cubs? 
³³Do you know the laws of heaven? 
  Or can you establish heaven's rule on earth -- 
³⁴Can you send up your voice to the clouds 
  That rushing floods might cover you? 
³⁵Can you order the bolts of lightning forth 
  And they answer: "Here we are"? 

³⁶Who gave wisdom to the feelings, 
  Understanding to the mind? 

³⁷Who has the skill to mass the clouds 
  And tilt the bottles of the sky 
³⁸When the soil cakes 
  And the clods cling together? 

³⁹Do you hunt for the lioness 
  And feed her hungry cubs, 
⁴⁰That are settled in their den 
  Or waiting quietly in some thicket? 

⁴¹Who provides the raven's prey 
  When its fledglings cry to God 
  And wander far because there is no food? 

^39:1Do you know when the mountain goats give birth 
 Or do you watch over the calving of the doe? 
²Do you count the months that they fulfill 
 And mark the season they bring forth 
³When they crouch to bear their young 
 And have their labor done? 
⁴In the open fields their offspring thrive and grow; 
 Soon they leave their mother's side, never to return. 

⁵Who set the zebra free? 
 Who loosed the wild ass from his bonds, 
⁶Whose home I made the wilderness, 
 The salt plains his habitat? 
⁷He laughs at the city throngs; 
 He hears no driver's shout. 
⁸He roams the hills for pasture, 
 Searching out the greenery. 

⁹Will the wild ox be your beast? 
 Can your manger keep him? 
¹⁰Will you lead him down the furrows by a rope? 
  Will he follow with the harrow down the row? 
¹¹Will you rely on his great strength 
  And trust the profit of your labor to him, 
¹²Confident he will come home, 
  Hauling the grain of your threshing floor? 

¹³Would that screeching bird rejoice for a wing 
  Pinioned like the sheltering wing of the stork, 
¹⁴The ostrich, who lays her eggs on the ground, 
  Letting them warm in the dust, 
¹⁵Forgetting that a foot may crush them 
  Or a wild beast trample them? 
¹⁶She is cruel to her young, as if they were not hers, 
  Caring little if her labor is in vain, 
¹⁷For God deprived her of wisdom, 
  Gave her no share of understanding, 
¹⁸But when up she spreads her plumes, 
  She laughs at horse and rider! 

¹⁹Is it you that gives the horse his might, 
  Adorns his neck with a windsnapped mane, 
²⁰Makes him quiver like a bed of locusts, 
  His awful snorts a terror? 
²¹He stamps the ground and mightily exults; 
  He charges into battle. 
²²He laughs at fear and is not afraid; 
  He does not shy from the sword. 
²³The arrows whistle by, 
  The flashing spear and the lance. 
²⁴He swallows the land with his fierce pounding stride 
  And will not believe the trumpet's recall. 
²⁵When the trumpet sounds, he cries "He'aah!" 
  Scenting the battle from afar, 
  The roar of the captains and the shouting. 

²⁶Does the hawk mount up by some wisdom of yours 
  And stretch her wings to the strong south wind? 
²⁷Is it at your command the vulture soars 
  And makes her nest on high, 
²⁸Dwelling on the rock, 
  Lodging upon the fastness of the crag? 
²⁹Thence she spies her prey; 
  Her eyes can see from afar. 
³⁰Her young ones drink blood 
  And where the slain are, there is she. 

^40:1Then the Lord said to Job: 
²Will the one contending with the Almighty yield? 
 Or let him answer, the one who accuses God! 

³And Job answered the Lord, saying: 
⁴How little I am! What shall I answer thee? 
 I lay my hand upon my mouth. 
⁵I have spoken once and will not reply; 
 Twice, but I will say no more. 

⁶Then the Lord answered Job from the storm, saying: 
⁷Gird your loins like a stouthearted man; 
 I will ask and you will answer. 
⁸Will you reduce my justice to nought, 
 Make me wrong that you may be right? 
⁹Have you an arm like God 
 Or can you thunder with a voice like his? 
¹⁰Then assume your dignity and state. 
  Array yourself in majesty and splendor. 
¹¹Let loose your transports of anger. 
  (Bring low every proud man with a look.) 
¹²Humble every proud man with a look 
  And demolish the wicked where they stand. 
¹³Bury them all in the dust together; 
  Bind their faces in the crypt. 
¹⁴Then I myself will give thanks 
  that your own right hand can save you. 

¹⁵Consider Behemoth, beast of beasts, 
  Which I created with you; 
  Grass he eats like an ox. 
¹⁶See the strength he has in his loins, 
  The power in the muscles of his belly! 
¹⁷His tail is arched like a cedar; 
  The sinews of his thighs are closely knit. 
¹⁸His bones are pipes of brass; 
  His ribs like iron bars. 
¹⁹He was first of the ways of God, 
  Made to be lord of his fellows. 
²⁰The creatures of the hills are at ease with him 
  And the beasts of the grassland play there. 
²¹He lies beneath the lotus thorns, 
  Hidden by reed and fen. 
²²The lotus gives him shade; 
  The wadi willows stand on every side. 
²³Though the river rage, yet he is calm, 
  Though the Jordan surge against his mouth. 

²⁴Who can take him by the eyes 
  Or pierce his nose with a peg? 

^41:1Can you fish out Leviathan with a hook 
 Or fasten his tongue with a cord? 
²Can you put a ring through his nose 
 Or pierce his jaw with a gaff? 
³Will he pray to you for mercy 
 And coax you with gentle words, 
⁴Bargain with you 
 To be your slave forever, 
⁵That you may sport with him as with a bird 
 Like a sparrow on a leash? 
⁶Will the tradesmen put a price on him 
 And divide him among the merchants? 
⁷Will you prepare his hide with spice 
 And serve his head with onions? 
⁸Lay your hand upon him; 
 A fight you won't forget, that's all you'll get! 

⁹The hope of taking him is vain. 
 The very look of him would dismay him. 
¹⁰Is he not fierce that he should rouse him? 
  But who is he to stand before me? 
¹¹Who could confront me and come out whole, 
  Under all of heaven, who? 
¹²Was it not I who silenced his empty boast, 
  His proud talk and his arrogant charm? 

¹³Who can describe the look of his garb 
  And who can penetrate his double defense, 
¹⁴Force the doors of his face 
  Where lies the terror of his teeth, 
¹⁵Or breach the shields in dorsal rows, 
  Sealed with adamant, 
¹⁶One so near the next 
  No air can pass between, 
¹⁷Joined to one another, 
  Interlocked forever? 

¹⁸He snorts and lightning flashes forth; 
  His eyes are like the early dawn. 
¹⁹From his mouth come firebrands, 
  Fiery sparks escaping. 
²⁰His nostrils smoke 
  Like a hot furnace on a reed fire. 
²¹His spirit sets the coals ablaze 
  and the flame issues from his mouth. 

²²In his neck dwells strength 
  And weakness runs before him. 
²³The dewlaps of his flesh are tightly knit, 
  Firmly cast upon him with no motion of their own. 
²⁴His heart is hard as rock, 
  Solid as the nether millstone. 
²⁵The gods are terrified at his appearance; 
  They lose their self-control. 
²⁶Useless is the sword of his attacker, 
  The spear, the dart and the lance. 
²⁷Iron he counts for straw, 
  Brass for rotten wood. 
²⁸Arrows cannot make him flee; 
  Slingstones turn to chaff when used against him. 
²⁹Clubs he counts for stubble 
  And he laughs at the javelin's whirr. 

³⁰His underside is sharp as shards; 
  Like a threshing machine he drags the mire. 
³¹He makes the depths boil like a caldron; 
  He churns the sea like an unguent pot. 
³²He leaves a shining wake 
  That makes the deep seem hoary. 
³³His match will not be found on earth, 
  A creature born intrepid. 
³⁴He looks down on all high things; 
  He is king of all proud beasts. 

^42:1Then Job answered the Lord, saying: 

²You can do all things, I know, 
 And no purpose of yours can be hindered. 
³(Who is this concealing intent without knowledge?) 
 I spoke of things I did not understand, 
 Of wonders beyond my ken. 
⁴(Hear me now and I will speak; 
 I will ask and you will answer.) 
⁵For I had report of you by ear, 
 But now my eye gives sight of you. 

[Radio announcer. Now God gives judgment.] 
God. ⁶Therefore I reject . . .[Radio only. him] 
 And take pity upon the dust and ashes. 
[Radio announcer. It is Job God has accepted, 
and the Satan who is rejected!]

Addressing Job. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

God raises a fist. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

God pauses briefly to give 
Job a chance to regroup. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Addressing Job. 
 
 

Answering God instead 
of yielding. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ironically, gesturing to Job 
with his left hand. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Addressing the crowd.  
Would dismay Job. 
Leviathan not fierce that Job... 
Deliberately ambiguous. 

Job pulls his cloak about him. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
God raises both hands. 
 

Rejecting Satan with left hand, 
accepting Job with his right.