Chapter 39
1“Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the doe bear her fawn? 2Can you count the months they are pregnant? Do you know the time they give birth? 3They crouch down and bring forth their young; they deliver their newborn. 4Their young ones thrive and grow up in the open field; they leave and do not return. 5Who set the wild donkey free? Who released the swift donkey from the harness? 6I made the wilderness his home and the salt flats his dwelling. 7He scorns the tumult of the city and never hears the shouts of a driver. 8He roams the mountains for pasture, searching for any green thing. 9Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night? 10Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness? Will he plow the valleys behind you? 11Can you rely on his great strength? Will you leave your hard work to him? 12Can you trust him to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor? 13The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but cannot match the pinions and feathers of the stork. 14For she leaves her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand. 15She forgets that a foot may crush them, or a wild animal may trample them. 16She treats her young harshly, as if not her own, with no concern that her labor was in vain. 17For God has deprived her of wisdom; He has not endowed her with understanding. 18Yet when she proudly spreads her wings, she laughs at the horse and its rider. 19Do you give strength to the horse or adorn his neck with a mane? 20Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? 21He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; he charges into battle. 22He laughs at fear, frightened of nothing; he does not turn back from the sword. 23A quiver rattles at his side, along with a flashing spear and lance. 24Trembling with excitement, he devours the distance; he cannot stand still when the ram’s horn sounds. 25At the blast of the horn, he snorts with fervor. He catches the scent of battle from afar, the shouts of captains and the cry of war. 26Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread his wings toward the south? 27Does the eagle soar at your command and make his nest on high? 28He dwells on a cliff and lodges there; his stronghold is on a rocky crag. 29From there he spies out food; his eyes see it from afar. 30His young ones feast on blood; and where the slain are, there he is.”
Chapter 40
1And the LORD said to Job: 2“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.” 3Then Job answered the LORD: 4“Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth. 5I have spoken once, but I have no answer— twice, but I have nothing to add.” 6Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 7“Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me. 8Would you really annul My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself? 9Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His? 10Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory. 11Unleash the fury of your wrath; look on every proud man and bring him low. 12Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand. 13Bury them together in the dust; imprison them in the grave. 14Then I will confess to you that your own right hand can save you. 15Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox. 16See the strength of his loins and the power in the muscles of his belly. 17His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18His bones are tubes of bronze; his limbs are rods of iron. 19He is the foremost of God’s works; only his Maker can draw the sword against him. 20The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby. 21He lies under the lotus plants, hidden among the reeds of the marsh. 22The lotus plants conceal him in their shade; the willows of the brook surround him. 23Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth. 24Can anyone capture him as he looks on, or pierce his nose with a snare?