^{1 Ref} "Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?

^{2 Ref} Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they give birth?

³ They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, They end their labor pains.

⁴ Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go forth, and don't return again.

^{5 Ref} "Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,

^{6 Ref} Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the salt land his dwelling-place?

^{7 Ref} He scorns the tumult of the city, Neither hears he the shouting of the driver.

^{8 Ref} The range of the mountains is his pasture, He searches after every green thing.

^{9 Ref} "Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?

^{10 Ref} Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?

^{11 Ref} Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labor?

^{12 Ref} Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, And gather the grain of your threshing floor?

^{13 Ref} "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; But are they the feathers and plumage of love?

¹⁴ For she leaves her eggs on the earth, Warms them in the dust,

¹⁵ And forgets that the foot may crush them, Or that the wild animal may trample them.

^{16 Ref} She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear,

^{17 Ref} Because God has deprived her of wisdom, Neither has he imparted to her understanding.

^{18 Ref} When she lifts up herself on high, She scorns the horse and his rider.

^{19 Ref} "Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?

^{20 Ref} Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.

^{21 Ref} He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength: He goes out to meet the armed men.

^{22 Ref} He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed; Neither does he turn back from the sword.

^{23 Ref} The quiver rattles against him, The flashing spear and the javelin.

^{24 Ref} He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, Neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

^{25 Ref} As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, 'Aha!' He smells the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

^{26 Ref} "Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, And stretches her wings toward the south?

^{27 Ref} Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, And makes his nest on high?

^{28 Ref} On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home, On the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.

^{29 Ref} From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off.

^{30 Ref} His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is."

^{1 Ref} Hast thou known the time of The bearing of the wild goats of the rock? The bringing forth of hinds thou dost mark!

^{2 Ref} Thou dost number the months they fulfil? And thou hast known the time of their bringing forth!

³ They bow down, Their young ones they bring forth safely, Their pangs they cast forth.

⁴ Safe are their young ones, They grow up in the field, they have gone out, And have not returned to them.

^{5 Ref} Who hath sent forth the wild ass free? Yea, the bands of the wild ass who opened?

^{6 Ref} Whose house I have made the wilderness, And his dwellings the barren land,

^{7 Ref} He doth laugh at the multitude of a city, The cries of an exactor he heareth not.

^{8 Ref} The range of mountains `is' his pasture, And after every green thing he seeketh.

^{9 Ref} Is a Reem willing to serve thee? Doth he lodge by thy crib?

^{10 Ref} Dost thou bind a Reem in a furrow `with' his thick band? Doth he harrow valleys after thee?

^{11 Ref} Dost thou trust in him because great `is' his power? And dost thou leave unto him thy labour?

^{12 Ref} Dost thou trust in him That he doth bring back thy seed? And `to' thy threshing-floor doth gather `it'?

^{13 Ref} The wing of the rattling ones exulteth, Whether the pinion of the ostrich or hawk.

¹⁴ For she leaveth on the earth her eggs, And on the dust she doth warm them,

¹⁵ And she forgetteth that a foot may press it, And a beast of the field tread it down.

^{16 Ref} Her young ones it hath hardened without her, In vain `is' her labour without fear.

^{17 Ref} For God hath caused her to forget wisdom, And He hath not given a portion To her in understanding:

^{18 Ref} At the time on high she lifteth herself up, She laugheth at the horse and at his rider.

^{19 Ref} Dost thou give to the horse might? Dost thou clothe his neck `with' a mane?

^{20 Ref} Dost thou cause him to rush as a locust? The majesty of his snorting `is' terrible.

^{21 Ref} They dig in a valley, and he rejoiceth in power, He goeth forth to meet the armour.

^{22 Ref} He laugheth at fear, and is not affrighted, And he turneth not back from the face of the sword.

^{23 Ref} Against him rattle doth quiver, The flame of a spear, and a halbert.

^{24 Ref} With trembling and rage he swalloweth the ground, And remaineth not stedfast Because of the sound of a trumpet.

^{25 Ref} Among the trumpets he saith, Aha, And from afar he doth smell battle, Roaring of princes and shouting.

^{26 Ref} By thine understanding flieth a hawk? Spreadeth he his wings to the south?

^{27 Ref} At thy command goeth an eagle up high? Or lifteth he up his nest?

^{28 Ref} A rock he doth inhabit, Yea, he lodgeth on the tooth of a rock, and fortress.

^{29 Ref} From thence he hath sought food, To a far off place his eyes look attentively,

^{30 Ref} And his brood gulph up blood, And where the pierced `are' -- there `is' he!

^{1 Ref} Do you go after food for the she-lion, or get meat so that the young lions may have enough,

^{2 Ref} When they are stretched out in their holes, and are waiting in the brushwood?

³ Who gives in the evening the meat he is searching for, when his young ones are crying to God; when the young lions with loud noise go wandering after their food?

⁴ Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?

^{5 Ref} Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?

^{6 Ref} They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.

^{7 Ref} Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.

^{8 Ref} Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?

^{9 Ref} To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.

^{10 Ref} He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;

^{11 Ref} He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.

^{12 Ref} Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?

^{13 Ref} Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?

¹⁴ Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?

¹⁵ Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?

^{16 Ref} Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,

^{17 Ref} That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,

^{18 Ref} Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?

^{19 Ref} She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.

^{20 Ref} For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.

^{21 Ref} When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.

^{22 Ref} Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?

^{23 Ref} Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?

^{24 Ref} He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.

^{25 Ref} In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.

^{26 Ref} The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.

^{27 Ref} Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;

^{28 Ref} When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.

^{29 Ref} Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?

^{30 Ref} Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?

³¹ On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.

³² From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.

³³ His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.

³⁴ ...

³⁵ Will he who is protesting give teaching to the Ruler of all? Let him who has arguments to put forward against God give an answer.

³⁶ And Job said in answer to the Lord,

³⁷ Truly, I am of no value; what answer may I give to you? I will put my hand on my mouth.

³⁸ I have said once, and even twice, what was in my mind, but I will not do so again.