Job 39
English Standard Version
39 “Do you know when (A)the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe (B)the calving of the does?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
3 when they (C)crouch, bring forth their offspring,
and are delivered of their young?
4 Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
they go out and (D)do not return to them.
5 “Who has let the wild donkey go free?
Who has (E)loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 to whom I have given (F)the arid plain for his home
and (G)the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 He scorns the tumult of the city;
he hears not the shouts of the driver.
8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture,
and he searches after every green thing.
9 “Is (H)the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will he spend the night at your (I)manger?
10 Can you bind (J)him in the furrow with ropes,
or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great,
and will you leave to him your labor?
12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
but are they the pinions and plumage of love?[a]
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
and that the wild beast may trample them.
16 She (K)deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
though her (L)labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
17 because God has made her forget wisdom
and (M)given her no share in understanding.
18 When she rouses herself to flee,[b]
she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic (N)snorting is terrifying.
21 He paws[c] in the valley and exults in his strength;
he (O)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon him rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;
he cannot stand still at (P)the sound of the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
and spreads his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes his (Q)nest on high?
28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
on (R)the rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there he spies out the prey;
his eyes behold it from far away.
30 His young ones suck up blood,
and (S)where the slain are, there is he.”
Job 39
New American Standard Bible
God Speaks of Nature and Its Beings
39 “Do you know the time the [a](A)mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the (B)deer?
2 Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
3 They kneel down, they deliver their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.
4 Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5 “Who sent the (C)wild donkey out free?
And who opened the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I gave (D)the wilderness as his home,
And the salt land as his dwelling place?
7 He laughs at the turmoil of the city,
He does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.
8 He explores the mountains of his pasture,
And searches after every green thing.
9 Will the (E)wild bull be willing to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your feeding trough?
10 Can you tie down the wild bull in a furrow with [b]ropes,
Or will he [c]plow the valleys after you?
11 Will you trust him because his strength is great,
And leave your labor to him?
12 Will you have faith in him that he will return your [d]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyously,
With the pinion and feathers of [e]love,
14 For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush [f]them,
Or that a wild animal may trample [g]them.
16 She treats her young (F)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor is for nothing, she is [h]unconcerned,
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 When 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?
20 Do you make him (G)leap like locusts?
His majestic (H)snorting is frightening.
21 [i]He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He (I)goes out to meet the battle.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
24 He [j]races over the ground with a roar and fury,
And he does not stand still when he hears the sound of the trumpet.
25 As 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?
27 Is it at your [k]command that the eagle flies high,
And makes (J)his nest on high?
28 He dwells and spends his nights on the cliff,
On the rocky cliff, an inaccessible place.
29 From there he (K)tracks food;
His eyes look at it from afar.
30 His young ones also lick up blood greedily;
And (L)where the slain are, there he is.”
Job 39
nuBibeln (Swedish Contemporary Bible)
39 Kan du jaga byte åt lejonhonan
och stilla lejonungarnas hunger,
2 där de kryper ihop i sina hålor
eller ligger och väntar bland snåren?
3 Vem är det som skaffar mat åt korpen,
när dess ungar skriker till Gud
och flaxar omkring hungriga?
4 Vet du när[a] stengeten föder sina ungar,
och vakar du över hindens kalvning?
5 Räknar du hur många månader de går havande,
vet du tiden när de ska föda?
6 De böjer sig ner, föder sina ungar
och blir av med sin plåga.
7 Deras ungar växer upp på de öppna fälten och blir starka.
De ger sig iväg och kommer aldrig mer tillbaka.
8 Vem är det som släpper vildåsnan fri,
vem knyter upp dess band?
9 Jag har gett den öknen som hem
och saltslätterna att bo på.
10 Den ler åt stadens buller
och slipper höra pådrivarens rop.
11 Bergskedjorna är dess betesmark.
Där söker den efter allt som är grönt.
12 Skulle vildoxen vilja bli din tjänare?
Skulle den stanna vid din krubba om natten?
13 Skulle du kunna hålla vildoxen framför plogen?
Skulle den dra harven efter dig i dalarna?
14 Vågar du lita på den för dess enorma styrka,
överlåta ditt tunga arbete åt den?
15 Kan du lita på att den för hem din skörd
och samlar den på tröskplatsen?
16 Strutsen flaxar glatt med sina vingar,
men dess fjädrar kan inte jämföras med hägerns.[b]
17 Den lägger sina ägg på marken,
låter dem värmas i sanden
18 och tänker inte på att någon kan trampa på dem
och vilda djur kan krossa dem.
19 Den är hård mot sina ungar,
precis som om de inte var dess egna
och bryr sig inte om sin möda,
som var förgäves,
20 för Gud har inte utrustat den med vishet
eller gett den förstånd.
21 Men så snart den reser sig upp för att springa
skrattar den både åt häst och ryttare.
22 Har du gett hästen dess styrka
eller klätt dess nacke med den yviga manen?
23 Är det du som lärt den hoppa som gräshoppan
och sprida skräck med sitt stolta frustande?
24 Den skrapar med hoven,
gläds över sin styrka
och rusar fram mot väpnade styrkor.
25 Den skrattar åt rädslan och fruktar inget,
den ryggar inte tillbaka för svärdet.
26 Runt omkring den viner pilar
och slår blixtrande spjut och lans.[c]
27 Den skakar och är upphetsad,
rusar över terrängen,
in i striden när stridssignalen ljuder.
28 Vid hornstöten gnäggar den högt,
vädrar strid redan på avstånd,
kommandorop och stridslarm.
29 Är det tack vare din vishet som höken flyger högt där uppe
och breder ut sina vingar mot söder?
30 Är det på din befallning som örnen flyger omkring
och bygger sitt bo på hög höjd?
31 Där bor den på klippan och tillbringar sin natt,
med klippbranten som sin fästning.
32 Därifrån spanar den in sitt byte
och upptäcker det på långt håll.
33 Dess ungar frossar i blod,
för där det slagna ligger, där finns örnen.
34 Herren svarade Job:
35 ”Vill du tvista med den Väldige,
visa honom till rätta?
Nu får Guds anklagare svara honom!”
Jobs svar
36 Då svarade Job Herren:
37 Jag är ingenting,
hur skulle jag kunna finna några svar?
Jag sätter handen för munnen.
38 Jag har talat både en gång och två gånger,
men inte kunnat svara.
Nu säger jag inget mer.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Swedish Contemporary Bible (nuBibeln) Copyright © 2015 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.