² “Who is this that makes my purpose unclear
    by saying things that are not true?
³ Be strong like a man.
    I will ask you questions,
    and you must answer me.
⁴ Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.
⁵ Who marked off how big it should be?
    Surely you know!
⁶ What were the earth’s foundations set on?
    Or who put its cornerstone in place?
⁷ Who did all this while the morning stars sang together?
    Who did this while the angels shouted with joy?

⁸ “Who shut the doors to keep the sea in
    when it broke through and was born?
⁹ This was when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea.
    And I wrapped the sea in dark clouds.
¹⁰ It was when I put limits on the sea.
    And I put its doors and bars in place.
¹¹ It was when I said to the sea, ‘You may come this far, but no farther.
    This is where your proud waves must stop.’

¹² “Have you ever given orders for morning to begin?
    Or have you shown the dawn where its place was?
¹³ The dawn takes hold of earth by its edges
    and shakes evil people out of it.
¹⁴ At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal.
    The hills and valleys stand out like folds in a coat.
¹⁵ Light is not given to evil people.
    Their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken.

¹⁶ “Have you ever gone to where the sea begins?
    Or have you walked in the valleys under the sea?
¹⁷ Have the gates of death been opened to you?
    Or have you seen the gates of the deep darkness?
¹⁸ Do you understand the great width of the earth?
    Tell me, if you know all these things.

¹⁹ “What is the path to light’s home?
    And where does darkness live?
²⁰ Can you take them to their places?
    Do you know the way to their homes?
²¹ Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened!
    Have you lived that many years?

²² “Have you ever gone into the storehouse where snow is kept?
    Or have you seen the storehouses for hail?
²³ I save the snow and hail for times of trouble.
    I save them for days of war and battle.
²⁴ How do you get to the place where light comes from?
    Or where is the place from which the east winds are scattered over the earth?
²⁵ Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains?
    And who sets a path for the thunderstorm to follow?
²⁶ Who waters the land where no one lives?
    Who waters the desert that has no one in it?
²⁷ Who sends rain to satisfy the empty land
    so the grass begins to grow?
²⁸ Does the rain have a father?
    Who is father to the drops of dew?
²⁹ Who is the mother of the ice?
    Who gives birth to the frost from the sky?
³⁰ The waters become hard as stone.
    Even the surface of the deep ocean is frozen.

³¹ “Can you tie up the stars of the Pleiades?
    Can you loosen the ropes of the stars in Orion?
³² Can you bring out the stars at the right times?
    Or can you lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs?
³³ Do you know the laws of the sky?
    Can you understand their rule over the earth?

³⁴ “Can you shout an order to the clouds
    and cover yourself with a flood of water?
³⁵ Can you send lightning bolts on their way?
    Do the flashes of lightning report to you and say, ‘Here we are’?
³⁶ Who put wisdom inside the mind?
    Or who put understanding in the heart?
³⁷ Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
    Who can pour water from the jars of heaven?
³⁸ Who can do this when the dust becomes hard
    and the clumps of dirt stick together?

³⁹ “Do you hunt food for the female lion
    to satisfy the hunger of the young lions?
⁴⁰ Do you hunt for them while they lie in their dens
    or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?
⁴¹ Who gives food to the birds
    when their young cry out to God?
    And who gives them food when they wander about without any?