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39 “Do you know the time the [a](A)mountain goats give birth?
Do you keep watch over the calving of the (B)deer?
Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
They kneel down; they bring forth their young;
They send out their labor pains.
Their children become strong; they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.

“Who sent out the (C)wild donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
For whom I have set (D)the desert plain as a home
And the salt land as his dwelling place?
He laughs at the tumult of the city;
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
He explores the mountains for his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
Will the (E)wild ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?
10 Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with [b]ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you trust him because his power is great
And leave your labor to him?
12 Will you believe him that he will return your seed of grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

13 “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously
But are they the pinion and plumage of a [c]stork?
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush [d]them,
Or that a beast of the field may trample [e]them.
16 She treats her children (F)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be empty, she is without dread,
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 When she raises herself up 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 the locust?
His splendid (H)snorting is terrible.
21 [f]He paws in the valley and rejoices in his power;
He (I)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at dread 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 With shaking and rage he [g]races over the ground,
And he does not [h]stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
25 As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the commanders and the shout of war.

26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your [i]command that the eagle goes on high
And raises (J)his nest high?
28 On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, a fortress.
29 From there he [j](K)spies out food;
His eyes see it from afar.
30 His young ones also suck up blood;
And (L)where the slain are, there is he.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 39:1 Lit goats of the rock
  2. Job 39:10 Lit his rope
  3. Job 39:13 Or love
  4. Job 39:15 Lit it
  5. Job 39:15 Lit it
  6. Job 39:21 Lit They paw
  7. Job 39:24 Or swallows up
  8. Job 39:24 Lit believe
  9. Job 39:27 Lit mouth
  10. Job 39:29 Or paws, cf. Job 39:21; lit digs

39 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
    Do you watch ·when the deer gives birth to her fawn [L the birth pangs of the deer]?
Do you count the months until they ·give birth [are fulfilled]
    and know the right time for them to give birth?
They lie down, their young are born,
    and ·then the pain of giving birth is over [L deliver their fetuses].
Their young ones grow big and strong in the wild country.
    Then they leave their homes and do not return.

“Who let the ·wild donkey [or onager; C a donkey-like animal also known as the Asian wild ass; Gen. 16:12] go free?
    Who untied ·its ropes [L the Arabian onager from its bonds; C another Hebrew word for a wild donkey]?
I am the one who gave ·the donkey [L it] the ·desert [steppe] as its home;
    I gave it the ·desert [L salt] lands as a place to live.
·The wild donkey [L It] ·laughs [scoffs] at the ·confusion [tumult; noise] in the city,
    and it does not hear the drivers shout.
It ·roams [scouts out] the ·hills [mountains] looking for pasture,
    looking for anything green to eat.

“Will the wild ox agree to serve you
    and stay by your ·feeding box [stable] at night?
10 Can you hold it to the ·plowed row [furrow] with a ·harness [rope]
    so it will ·plow [harrow] the valleys for you?
11 Will you depend on the wild ox for its great strength
    and ·leave [hand over] your heavy work for it to do?
12 Can you trust the ox to bring in your grain
    and gather it to your threshing floor?

13 “The wings of the ostrich flap happily,
    but ·they are not like the feathers of the stork [or its pinions lack plumage].
14 The ostrich lays its eggs on the ground
    and lets them warm in the ·sand [dust].
15 It ·does not stop to think [forgets] that a foot might step on them and crush them;
    ·it does not care that some animal [L or a wild animal] might ·walk on [trample] them.
16 The ostrich ·is cruel to [treats harshly] its young, as if they were not even its own.
    It does not care that its work is for nothing,
17 because God ·did not give the ostrich [or made her forget] wisdom;
    God did not give it a share of ·good sense [understanding].
18 But when ·the ostrich gets up to run, it is so fast
    that [or it flaps its wings aloft and] it laughs at the horse and its rider.

19 “Job, are you the one who gives the horse its strength
    or puts a flowing mane on its neck?
20 Do you make the horse ·jump like a locust [or quiver like locust wings]?
    It scares people with its ·proud [splendid] snorting.
21 It paws ·wildly [or the dirt of the valley], enjoying its strength,
    and ·charges into battle [L goes out to encounter the weapons].
22 It laughs at ·fear [or danger] and is afraid of nothing;
    it does not run away from the sword.
23 The ·bag of arrows [quiver] rattles against the horse’s side,
    along with the flashing ·spears and swords [or javelins and spears].
24 With ·great excitement [L trembling and shaking], the horse ·races over [L swallows up] the ground;
    and it cannot stand still when it hears the ·trumpet [ram’s horn].
25 When the ·trumpet [ram’s horn] blows, the horse snorts, ‘Aha!’
    It ·smells [senses] the battle from far away;
    ·it hears the shouts [L the thunder] of commanders and the battle cry.

26 “Is it through your ·wisdom [understanding] that the ·hawk [or falcon] ·flies [soars]
    and spreads its wings toward the south?
27 Are you the one that commands the eagle to fly
    and build its nest so high?
28 It lives on a high cliff and stays there at night;
    the ·rocky [sharp] peak is its ·protected place [fortress].
29 From there it ·looks [scouts] for its food;
    its eyes can see it from far away.
30 Its young ·eat [suck; gorge on] blood,
    and where ·there is something dead [the slain are], the eagle is there.”

39 “Do you know when the mountain goats(A) give birth?
    Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?(B)
Do you count the months till they bear?
    Do you know the time they give birth?(C)
They crouch down and bring forth their young;
    their labor pains are ended.
Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
    they leave and do not return.

“Who let the wild donkey(D) go free?
    Who untied its ropes?
I gave it the wasteland(E) as its home,
    the salt flats(F) as its habitat.(G)
It laughs(H) at the commotion in the town;
    it does not hear a driver’s shout.(I)
It ranges the hills(J) for its pasture
    and searches for any green thing.

“Will the wild ox(K) consent to serve you?(L)
    Will it stay by your manger(M) at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?(N)
    Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?(O)
    Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
    and bring it to your threshing floor?

13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
    though they cannot compare
    with the wings and feathers of the stork.(P)
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
    and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
    that some wild animal may trample them.(Q)
16 She treats her young harshly,(R) as if they were not hers;
    she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
    or give her a share of good sense.(S)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
    she laughs(T) at horse and rider.

19 “Do you give the horse its strength(U)
    or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(V)
    striking terror(W) with its proud snorting?(X)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(Y)
    and charges into the fray.(Z)
22 It laughs(AA) at fear, afraid of nothing;
    it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(AB) rattles against its side,
    along with the flashing spear(AC) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
    it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(AD)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(AE) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
    It catches the scent of battle from afar,
    the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(AF)

26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
    and spread its wings toward the south?(AG)
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
    and build its nest on high?(AH)
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
    a rocky crag(AI) is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;(AJ)
    its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
    and where the slain are, there it is.”(AK)