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 神发言,回答约伯

38 那时,耶和华在旋风中回答约伯,说:

“这以无知无识的言语,

使我的旨意暗晦不明的是谁呢?

现在你要如勇士束腰,

我要问你,你要告诉我。

以创造的奇妙质问约伯

我奠定大地根基的时候,你在哪里呢?

你若有聪明,就只管说吧。

你一定晓得是谁定大地的尺度,

是谁把准绳拉在大地之上?

地的基础奠在哪里,

地的角石是谁安放的?

那时晨星一起歌唱,

 神的众子也都欢呼。

海水冲出如婴孩出母胎,

那时谁用门把海水关闭呢?

是我以云彩当作海的衣服,

以幽暗当作包裹海的布;

10 我为海定界限,

又安置门闩和门户,

11 说:‘你只可到这里,不可越过,

你狂傲的波浪要在这里止住。’

12 自你有生以来,你何曾吩咐过晨光照耀,

使黎明的曙光知道自己的本位,

13 叫这光照遍大地的四极,

把恶人从那里抖掉呢?

14 因着这光,地面改变如在泥上盖上印,

万象显出如衣服一样。

15 恶人必得不到亮光,

高举的膀臂必被折断。

16 你曾到过海的泉源,

在深渊的底处行走过吗?

17 死亡的门曾向你显露吗?

死荫的门你曾见过吗?

18 地的广阔,你明白吗?

你若完全知道,就只管说吧。

19 哪条是到光明居所的道路?

黑暗的本位在哪里?

20 你能把光与暗带到它们的境地吗?

你晓得通到它们居所的路吗?

21 你是知道的,因为那时你已经出生了,

你一生的日数也很多。

22 你曾入过雪库,

或见过雹仓吗?

23 这些雪雹是我为降患难的时候,

为打仗和争战的日子所存留的。

24 光从哪条路散开,

东风从哪里分散在地上?

25 谁为大雨分水道,

谁为雷电定道路?

26 使雨降在无人之地,

落在无人居住的旷野,

27 使荒废之地得着滋润,

使青草在干旱之地得以长起来呢?

28 雨有父亲吗?

露珠是谁生的呢?

29 冰出自谁的胎?

天上的霜是谁所生的呢?

30 众水坚硬如石头,

深渊的表面冻结成冰。

31 你能系住昴星的结吗?

你能解开参星的带吗?

32 你能按时领出玛查鲁夫星系吗?

你能引导北斗和随从它的众星吗?

33 你晓得天的定例吗?

你能在地上建立天的权威吗?

34 你能向密云扬声吗?

你能使洪水淹没你吗?

35 你能差派闪电,闪电就发出,

并且对你说:‘我们在这里’吗?

36 谁把智慧放在怀里,

或把聪明赐于人的心中?

37 尘土融合成团,

土块黏结在一起的时候,

38 谁能凭智慧数算云天呢?

谁能把天上的水袋倾倒呢?

39 狮子在洞中蹲伏,

在藏身之处躺卧埋伏的时候,

40 你能为母狮猎取食物吗?

你能使食欲饱足吗?

41 乌鸦雏鸟因缺乏食物飞来飞去,

向 神哀求的时候,

谁为乌鸦预备食物呢?”

以动物的生态质问约伯

39 “山岩间的野山羊的产期你能晓得吗?

母鹿下犊之期你能察出吗?

牠们怀胎的月数你能计算吗?

牠们生产的日期你能晓得吗?

牠们屈身,把子产下,

就除掉生产的疼痛。

幼雏渐渐健壮,在荒野长大,

牠们一离群出去,就不再返回。

谁放野驴自由出去呢?

谁解开快驴的绳索呢?

我使原野作牠的家,

使咸地作牠的居所。

牠嗤笑城里的喧哗,

不听赶野驴的呼喝声;

牠探索群山作牠的草场,

寻觅各样青绿的东西。

野牛怎肯作你的仆人,

或在你的槽旁过夜呢?

10 你怎能用套绳把野牛系在犁沟呢?

牠怎肯跟着你耙山谷之地呢?

11 你怎能因牠的力大就倚赖牠?

怎能把你所作的交给牠作呢?

12 怎能信任牠能把你的粮食运回来;

又收聚你禾场上的谷粒呢?

13 鸵鸟的翅膀欣然鼓动,

但牠的翎毛和羽毛哪有慈爱呢?

14 牠把蛋都留在地上,

使它们在土里得温暖,

15 牠却忘记了人的脚可以把蛋踩碎,

野地的走兽会把蛋践踏。

16 牠苛待幼雏,看牠们好象不是自己生的,

就算牠的劳苦白费了,也漠不关心,

17 因为 神使牠忘记了智慧,

也没有把聪明分给牠。

18 牠挺身鼓翼奔跑的时候,

就讥笑马和骑马的人。

19 马的大力是你所赐的吗?

牠颈上的鬃毛是你披上的吗?

20 是你使牠跳跃像蝗虫吗?

牠喷气之威使人惊惶。

21 牠在谷中扒地,以己力为乐,

牠出去迎战手持武器的人。

22 牠讥笑可怕的事,并不惊慌,

也不在刀剑的面前退缩。

23 箭袋、闪烁的矛与枪,

都在牠的身上铮铮有声。

24 牠震抖激动,驰骋大地,

一听见角声,就不能站定。

25 角声一响,牠就说‘呵哈’,

牠从远处闻到战争的气味,

又听见军长的雷声和战争的吶喊。

26 鹰鸟飞翔,展翅南飞,

是因着你的聪明吗?

27 大鹰上腾,在高处筑巢,

是听你的吩咐吗?

28 牠住在山岩之上,

栖息在岩崖与坚固所在之上,

29 从那里窥看猎物,

牠们的眼睛可以从远处观望。

30 牠的幼雏也都吮血;

被杀的人在哪里,鹰也在哪里。”

The Lord Answers Job

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:(A)

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?(B)
Gird up your loins like a man;
    I will question you, and you shall declare to me.(C)

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.(D)
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone(E)
when the morning stars sang together
    and all the heavenly beings[a] shouted for joy?(F)

“Or who shut in the sea with doors
    when it burst out from the womb,(G)
when I made the clouds its garment
    and thick darkness its swaddling band,(H)
10 and prescribed bounds for it,
    and set bars and doors,(I)
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come and no farther,
    and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?(J)

12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began
    and caused the dawn to know its place,(K)
13 so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
    and the wicked be shaken out of it?(L)
14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
    and it is dyed[b] like a garment.
15 Light is withheld from the wicked,
    and their uplifted arm is broken.(M)

16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea
    or walked in the recesses of the deep?(N)
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
    or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?(O)
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
    Declare, if you know all this.(P)

19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
    and where is the place of darkness,
20 that you may take it to its territory
    and that you may discern the paths to its home?(Q)
21 Surely you know, for you were born then,
    and the number of your days is great!(R)

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
    or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,(S)
23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
    for the day of battle and war?(T)
24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed
    or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?(U)

25 “Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain
    and a way for the thunderbolt,(V)
26 to bring rain on a land where no one lives,
    on the desert, which is empty of human life,(W)
27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
    and to make the ground put forth grass?(X)

28 “Has the rain a father,
    or who has fathered the drops of dew?(Y)
29 From whose womb did the ice come forth,
    and who has given birth to the hoarfrost of heaven?(Z)
30 The waters become hard like stone,
    and the face of the deep is frozen.

31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
    or loose the cords of Orion?(AA)
32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
    or can you guide the Bear with its children?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
    Can you establish their rule on the earth?(AB)

34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
    so that a flood of waters may cover you?(AC)
35 Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
    and say to you, ‘Here we are’?(AD)
36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts[c]
    or given understanding to the mind?[d](AE)
37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
    Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens
38 when the dust runs into a mass
    and the clods cling together?

39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion
    or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,(AF)
40 when they crouch in their dens
    or lie in wait in their covert?(AG)
41 Who provides for the raven its prey,
    when its young ones cry to God
    and wander about for lack of food?(AH)

39 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
    Do you observe the calving of the deer?(AI)
Can you number the months that they fulfill,
    and do you know the time when they give birth,
when they crouch to give birth to their offspring
    and are delivered of their young?(AJ)
Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
    they go forth and do not return to them.

“Who has let the wild ass go free?
    Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass,(AK)
to which I have given the steppe for its home,
    the salt land for its dwelling place?(AL)
It scorns the tumult of the city;
    it does not hear the shouts of the driver.
It ranges the mountains as its pasture,
    and it searches after every green thing.

“Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
    Will it spend the night at your crib?(AM)
10 Can you tie it in the furrow with ropes,
    or will it harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you depend on it because its strength is great,
    and will you hand over your labor to it?
12 Do you have faith in it that it will return
    and bring your grain to your threshing floor?[e]

13 “The ostrich’s wings flap wildly,
    though its pinions lack plumage.[f]
14 For it leaves its eggs to the earth
    and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
    and that a wild animal may trample them.
16 It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not its own;
    though its labor should be in vain, yet it has no fear;(AN)
17 because God has made it forget wisdom
    and given it no share in understanding.(AO)
18 When it spreads its plumes aloft,[g]
    it laughs at the horse and its rider.

19 “Do you give the horse its might?
    Do you clothe its neck with mane?(AP)
20 Do you make it leap like the locust?
    Its majestic snorting is terrible.(AQ)
21 It paws[h] violently, exults mightily;
    it goes out to meet the weapons.(AR)
22 It laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
    it does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon it rattle the quiver,
    the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground;
    it cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.(AS)
25 When the trumpet sounds, it says ‘Aha!’
    From a distance it smells the battle,
    the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.(AT)

26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars
    and spreads its wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
    and makes its nest on high?(AU)
28 It lives on the rock and makes its home
    in the fastness of the rocky crag.
29 From there it spies the prey;
    its eyes see it from far away.(AV)
30 Its young ones suck up blood,
    and where the slain are, there it is.”(AW)

Footnotes

  1. 38.7 Heb sons of God
  2. 38.14 Cn: Heb and they stand forth
  3. 38.36 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  4. 38.36 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  5. 39.12 Heb your grain and your threshing floor
  6. 39.13 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  7. 39.18 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  8. 39.21 Gk Syr Vg: Heb they dig

The Lord Speaks

38 Then the Lord spoke to Job(A) out of the storm.(B) He said:

“Who is this that obscures my plans(C)
    with words without knowledge?(D)
Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.(E)

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?(F)
    Tell me, if you understand.(G)
Who marked off its dimensions?(H) Surely you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line(I) across it?
On what were its footings set,(J)
    or who laid its cornerstone(K)
while the morning stars(L) sang together(M)
    and all the angels[a](N) shouted for joy?(O)

“Who shut up the sea behind doors(P)
    when it burst forth from the womb,(Q)
when I made the clouds its garment
    and wrapped it in thick darkness,(R)
10 when I fixed limits for it(S)
    and set its doors and bars in place,(T)
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;(U)
    here is where your proud waves halt’?(V)

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,(W)
    or shown the dawn its place,(X)
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
    and shake the wicked(Y) out of it?(Z)
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;(AA)
    its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,(AB)
    and their upraised arm is broken.(AC)

16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
    or walked in the recesses of the deep?(AD)
17 Have the gates of death(AE) been shown to you?
    Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?(AF)
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?(AG)
    Tell me, if you know all this.(AH)

19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
    And where does darkness reside?(AI)
20 Can you take them to their places?
    Do you know the paths(AJ) to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!(AK)
    You have lived so many years!

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow(AL)
    or seen the storehouses(AM) of the hail,(AN)
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,(AO)
    for days of war and battle?(AP)
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,(AQ)
    or the place where the east winds(AR) are scattered over the earth?(AS)
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
    and a path for the thunderstorm,(AT)
26 to water(AU) a land where no one lives,
    an uninhabited desert,(AV)
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
    and make it sprout with grass?(AW)
28 Does the rain have a father?(AX)
    Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
    Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens(AY)
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
    when the surface of the deep is frozen?(AZ)

31 “Can you bind the chains[b] of the Pleiades?
    Can you loosen Orion’s belt?(BA)
32 Can you bring forth the constellations(BB) in their seasons[c]
    or lead out the Bear[d] with its cubs?(BC)
33 Do you know the laws(BD) of the heavens?(BE)
    Can you set up God’s[e] dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
    and cover yourself with a flood of water?(BF)
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?(BG)
    Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[f](BH)
    or gives the rooster understanding?[g](BI)
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
    Who can tip over the water jars(BJ) of the heavens(BK)
38 when the dust becomes hard(BL)
    and the clods of earth stick together?(BM)

39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
    and satisfy the hunger of the lions(BN)
40 when they crouch in their dens(BO)
    or lie in wait in a thicket?(BP)
41 Who provides food(BQ) for the raven(BR)
    when its young cry out to God
    and wander about for lack of food?(BS)

39 “Do you know when the mountain goats(BT) give birth?
    Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?(BU)
Do you count the months till they bear?
    Do you know the time they give birth?(BV)
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(BW) go free?
    Who untied its ropes?
I gave it the wasteland(BX) as its home,
    the salt flats(BY) as its habitat.(BZ)
It laughs(CA) at the commotion in the town;
    it does not hear a driver’s shout.(CB)
It ranges the hills(CC) for its pasture
    and searches for any green thing.

“Will the wild ox(CD) consent to serve you?(CE)
    Will it stay by your manger(CF) at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?(CG)
    Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?(CH)
    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.(CI)
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.(CJ)
16 She treats her young harshly,(CK) 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.(CL)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
    she laughs(CM) at horse and rider.

19 “Do you give the horse its strength(CN)
    or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(CO)
    striking terror(CP) with its proud snorting?(CQ)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(CR)
    and charges into the fray.(CS)
22 It laughs(CT) at fear, afraid of nothing;
    it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(CU) rattles against its side,
    along with the flashing spear(CV) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
    it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(CW)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(CX) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
    It catches the scent of battle from afar,
    the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(CY)

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

Footnotes

  1. Job 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God
  2. Job 38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty
  3. Job 38:32 Or the morning star in its season
  4. Job 38:32 Or out Leo
  5. Job 38:33 Or their
  6. Job 38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
  7. Job 38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.