^{1 Ref} Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,

^{2 Ref} "Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

^{3 Ref} Brace yourself like a man, For I will question you, then you answer me!

^{4 Ref} "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.

^{5 Ref} Who determined the measures of it, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?

^{6 Ref} Whereupon were the foundations of it fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

^{7 Ref} When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

^{8 Ref} "Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it broke forth from the womb,

^{9 Ref} When I made clouds the garment of it, Thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,

^{10 Ref} Marked out for it my bound, Set bars and doors,

^{11 Ref} And said, 'Here you may come, but no further; Here shall your proud waves be stayed?'

^{12 Ref} "Have you commanded the morning in your days, And caused the dawn to know its place;

^{13 Ref} That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And shake the wicked out of it?

^{14 Ref} It is changed as clay under the seal, And stands forth as a garment.

^{15 Ref} From the wicked, their light is withheld, The high arm is broken.

^{16 Ref} "Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep?

^{17 Ref} Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

^{18 Ref} Have you comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if you know it all.

^{19 Ref} "What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is the place of it,

^{20 Ref} That you should take it to the bound of it, That you should discern the paths to the house of it?

^{21 Ref} Surely you know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great!

^{22 Ref} Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, Or have you seen the treasures of the hail,

^{23 Ref} Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, Against the day of battle and war?

^{24 Ref} By what way is the lightning distributed, Or the east wind scattered on the earth?

^{25 Ref} Who has cut a channel for the flood water, Or the path for the thunderstorm;

^{26 Ref} To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; On the wilderness, in which there is no man;

^{27 Ref} To satisfy the waste and desolate ground, To cause the tender grass to spring forth?

^{28 Ref} Does the rain have a father? Or who fathers the drops of dew?

^{29 Ref} Out of whose womb came the ice? The gray frost of the sky, who has given birth to it?

^{30 Ref} The waters become hard like stone, When the surface of the deep is frozen.

^{31 Ref} "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loosen the cords of Orion?

^{32 Ref} Can you lead forth the constellations in their season? Or can you guide the Bear with her cubs?

^{33 Ref} Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you establish the dominion of it over the earth?

^{34 Ref} "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That abundance of waters may cover you?

^{35 Ref} Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go? Do they report to you, 'Here we are?'

^{36 Ref} Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind?

^{37 Ref} Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky,

³⁸ When the dust runs into a mass, And the clods of earth stick together?

^{39 Ref} "Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

^{40 Ref} When they crouch in their dens, And lie in wait in the thicket?

^{41 Ref} Who provides for the raven his prey, When his young ones cry to God, And wander for lack of food?

^{1 Ref} And Jehovah answereth Job out of the whirlwind, and saith: --

^{2 Ref} Who `is' this -- darkening counsel, By words without knowledge?

^{3 Ref} Gird, I pray thee, as a man, thy loins, And I ask thee, and cause thou Me to know.

^{4 Ref} Where wast thou when I founded earth? Declare, if thou hast known understanding.

^{5 Ref} Who placed its measures -- if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched out upon it a line?

^{6 Ref} On what have its sockets been sunk? Or who hath cast its corner-stone?

^{7 Ref} In the singing together of stars of morning, And all sons of God shout for joy,

^{8 Ref} And He shutteth up with doors the sea, In its coming forth, from the womb it goeth out.

^{9 Ref} In My making a cloud its clothing, And thick darkness its swaddling band,

^{10 Ref} And I measure over it My statute, And place bar and doors,

^{11 Ref} And say, `Hitherto come thou, and add not, And a command is placed On the pride of thy billows.'

^{12 Ref} Hast thou commanded morning since thy days? Causest thou the dawn to know its place?

^{13 Ref} To take hold on the skirts of the earth, And the wicked are shaken out of it,

^{14 Ref} It turneth itself as clay of a seal And they station themselves as clothed.

^{15 Ref} And withheld from the wicked is their light, And the arm lifted up is broken.

^{16 Ref} Hast thou come in to springs of the sea? And in searching the deep Hast thou walked up and down?

^{17 Ref} Revealed to thee were the gates of death? And the gates of death-shade dost thou see?

^{18 Ref} Thou hast understanding, Even unto the broad places of earth! Declare -- if thou hast known it all.

^{19 Ref} Where `is' this -- the way light dwelleth? And darkness, where `is' this -- its place?

^{20 Ref} That thou dost take it unto its boundary, And that thou dost understand The paths of its house.

^{21 Ref} Thou hast known -- for then thou art born And the number of thy days `are' many!

^{22 Ref} Hast thou come in unto the treasure of snow? Yea, the treasures of hail dost thou see?

^{23 Ref} That I have kept back for a time of distress, For a day of conflict and battle.

^{24 Ref} Where `is' this, the way light is apportioned? It scattereth an east wind over the earth.

^{25 Ref} Who hath divided for the flood a conduit? And a way for the lightning of the voices?

^{26 Ref} To cause `it' to rain on a land -- no man, A wilderness -- no man in it.

^{27 Ref} To satisfy a desolate and waste place, And to cause to shoot up The produce of the tender grass?

^{28 Ref} Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

^{29 Ref} From whose belly came forth the ice? And the hoar-frost of the heavens, Who hath begotten it?

^{30 Ref} As a stone waters are hidden, And the face of the deep is captured.

^{31 Ref} Dost thou bind sweet influences of Kimah? Or the attractions of Kesil dost thou open?

^{32 Ref} Dost thou bring out Mazzaroth in its season? And Aysh for her sons dost thou comfort?

^{33 Ref} Hast thou known the statutes of heaven? Or dost thou appoint Its dominion in the earth?

^{34 Ref} Dost thou lift up to the cloud thy voice, And abundance of water doth cover thee?

^{35 Ref} Dost thou send out lightnings, and they go And say unto thee, `Behold us?'

^{36 Ref} Who hath put in the inward parts wisdom? Or who hath given To the covered part understanding?

^{37 Ref} Who doth number the clouds by wisdom? And the bottles of the heavens, Who doth cause to lie down,

³⁸ In the hardening of dust into hardness, And clods cleave together?

^{39 Ref} Dost thou hunt for a lion prey? And the desire of young lions fulfil?

^{40 Ref} When they bow down in dens -- Abide in a thicket for a covert?

^{41 Ref} Who doth prepare for a raven his provision, When his young ones cry unto God? They wander without food.

^{1 Ref} And the Lord made answer to Job out of the storm-wind, and said,

^{2 Ref} Who is this who makes the purpose of God dark by words without knowledge?

^{3 Ref} Get your strength together like a man of war; I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers.

^{4 Ref} Where were you when I put the earth on its base? Say, if you have knowledge.

^{5 Ref} By whom were its measures fixed? Say, if you have wisdom; or by whom was the line stretched out over it?

^{6 Ref} On what were its pillars based, or who put down its angle-stone,

^{7 Ref} When the morning stars made songs together, and all the sons of the gods gave cries of joy?

^{8 Ref} Or where were you when the sea came to birth, pushing out from its secret place;

^{9 Ref} When I made the cloud its robe, and put thick clouds as bands round it,

^{10 Ref} Ordering a fixed limit for it, with locks and doors;

^{11 Ref} And said, So far you may come, and no farther; and here the pride of your waves will be stopped?

^{12 Ref} Have you, from your earliest days, given orders to the morning, or made the dawn conscious of its place;

^{13 Ref} So that it might take a grip of the skirts of the earth, shaking all the evil-doers out of it?

^{14 Ref} It is changed like wet earth under a stamp, and is coloured like a robe;

^{15 Ref} And from the evil-doers their light is kept back, and the arm of pride is broken.

^{16 Ref} Have you come into the springs of the sea, walking in the secret places of the deep?

^{17 Ref} Have the doors of death been open to you, or have the door-keepers of the dark ever seen you?

^{18 Ref} Have you taken note of the wide limits of the earth? Say, if you have knowledge of it all.

^{19 Ref} Which is the way to the resting-place of the light, and where is the store-house of the dark;

^{20 Ref} So that you might take it to its limit, guiding it to its house?

^{21 Ref} No doubt you have knowledge of it, for then you had come to birth, and the number of your days is great.

^{22 Ref} Have you come into the secret place of snow, or have you seen the store-houses of the ice-drops,

^{23 Ref} Which I have kept for the time of trouble, for the day of war and fighting?

^{24 Ref} Which is the way to the place where the wind is measured out, and the east wind sent out over the earth?

^{25 Ref} By whom has the way been cut for the flowing of the rain, and the flaming of the thunder;

^{26 Ref} Causing rain to come on a land where no man is living, on the waste land which has no people;

^{27 Ref} To give water to the land where there is waste and destruction, and to make the dry land green with young grass?

^{28 Ref} Has the rain a father? or who gave birth to the drops of night mist?

^{29 Ref} Out of whose body came the ice? and who gave birth to the cold mist of heaven?

^{30 Ref} The waters are joined together, hard as a stone, and the face of the deep is covered.

^{31 Ref} Are the bands of the Pleiades fixed by you, or are the cords of Orion made loose?

^{32 Ref} Do you make Mazzaroth come out in its right time, or are the Bear and its children guided by you?

^{33 Ref} Have you knowledge of the laws of the heavens? did you give them rule over the earth?

^{34 Ref} Is your voice sent up to the cloud, so that you may be covered by the weight of waters?

^{35 Ref} Do you send out the thunder-flames, so that they may go, and say to you, Here we are?

^{36 Ref} Who has put wisdom in the high clouds, or given knowledge to the lights of the north?

^{37 Ref} By whose wisdom are the clouds numbered, or the water-skins of the heavens turned to the earth,

³⁸ When the earth becomes hard as metal, and is joined together in masses?