Job 39

God Speaks of Nature and Its Beings

1“Do you know the time the 12mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the 3deer?2Can you count the months they fulfill, Or do you know the time they give birth?3They kneel down, they deliver their young, They get rid of their labor pains.4Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field; They leave and do not return to them.

5“Who sent the 4wild donkey out free? And who opened the bonds of the swift donkey,6To whom I gave 5the wilderness as his home, And the salt land as his dwelling place?7He laughs at the turmoil of the city, He does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.8He explores the mountains of his pasture, And searches after every green thing.9Will the 6wild bull be willing to serve you, Or will he spend the night at your feeding trough?10Can you tie down the wild bull in a furrow with 7ropes, Or will he 8plow the valleys after you?11Will you trust him because his strength is great, And leave your labor to him?12Will you have faith in him that he will return your 9grain And gather it from your threshing floor?

13“The wings of the ostrich flap joyously, With the pinion and feathers of 10love,14For she abandons her eggs to the earth And warms them in the dust,15And she forgets that a foot may crush 11them, Or that a wild animal may trample 12them.16She treats her young 13cruelly, as if they were not hers; Though her labor is for nothing, she is 14unconcerned,17Because God has made her forget wisdom, And has not given her a share of understanding.18When she rushes away on high, She laughs at the horse and his rider.

19“Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane?20Do you make him 15leap like locusts? His majestic 16snorting is frightening.2117He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He 18goes out to meet the battle.22He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; And he does not turn back from the sword.23The quiver rattles against him, The flashing spear and javelin.24He 19races over the ground with a roar and fury, And he does not stand still when he hears the sound of the trumpet.25As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’ And he senses the battle from afar, And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

26“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south?27Is it at your 20command that the eagle flies high, And makes 21his nest on high?28He dwells and spends his nights on the cliff, On the rocky cliff, an inaccessible place.29From there he 22tracks food; His eyes look at it from afar.30His young ones also lick up blood greedily; And 23where the slain are, there he is.”