Job 38

God Speaks Now to Job

1Then the Lord 1answered Job from the whirlwind and said,2“Who is this who 2darkens the divine plan By words without knowledge?3Now 34tighten the belt on your waist like a man, And 5I shall ask you, and you inform Me!4Where were you 6when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you 7have understanding,5Who set its 8measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the measuring line over it?6On what 9were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,7When the morning stars sang together And all the 10sons of God shouted for joy?

8“Or who 11enclosed the sea with doors When it went out from the womb, bursting forth;9When I made a cloud its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling bands,10And I 1213placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,11And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther; And here your proud waves shall stop’?

God’s Mighty Power

12“Have you 14ever in your life commanded the morning, And made the dawn know its place,13So that it would take hold of 15the ends of the earth, And 16the wicked would be shaken off from it?14It is changed like clay under the seal; And they stand out like a garment.1517Their light is withheld from the wicked, And the 18uplifted arm is broken.

16“Have you entered 19the springs of the sea, And walked 20in the depth of the ocean?17Have the gates of death been revealed to you, And have you seen the gates of 21deep darkness?18Have you understood the 22expanse of 23the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

19“Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,20That you would take it to 24its territory, And discern the paths to its 25home?21You know, for 26you were born then, And the number of your days is great!22Have you entered the storehouses 27of the snow, And have you seen the storehouses of the 28hail,23Which I have reserved for a time of distress, For a day of war and battle?24Where is the way that 29the light is divided, And the east wind scattered on the earth?

25“Who has split open a channel for the flood, And a way for the thunderbolt,26To bring 30rain on a land without 31people, On a desert without a person in it,27To 32satisfy the waste and desolate land, And to make the 33seeds of grass to sprout?28Does 34the rain have a father? Or who has fathered the drops of dew?29From whose womb has come the 35ice? And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?30Water 36becomes hard like stone, And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.

31“Can you tie up the chains of the 37Pleiades, Or untie the cords of Orion?32Can you bring out a 38constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her 39satellites?33Do you know the 40ordinances of the heavens, Or do you establish their rule over the earth?

34“Can you raise your voice to the clouds, So that an 41abundance of water will cover you?35Can you 42send flashes of lightning, so that they may go And say to you, ‘Here we are’?36Who has 43put wisdom in the innermost being, Or given 44understanding to the 45mind?37Who can count the clouds by wisdom, And 46pour out the water jars of the heavens,38When the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together?

39“Can you hunt the 47prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of young lions,40When they 48crouch in their hiding places, And lie in wait in their lair?41Who prepares 49feed for 50the raven When its young cry to God, And wander about without food?