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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。”

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?
“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 get rid of their labor pains.
“Their offspring 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,
To whom I gave (D)the wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?
“He scorns 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 strength is great
And leave your labor to him?
12 “Will you have faith in him that he will return your [c]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

13 “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously
With the pinion and plumage of [d]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 [e]them,
Or that a wild beast may trample [f]them.
16 “She treats her young (F)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be in vain, she is [g]unconcerned;
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 “When she lifts herself [h]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 the locust?
His majestic (H)snorting is terrible.
21 [i]He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He (I)goes out to meet the weapons.
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 “With shaking and rage he [j]races over the ground,
And he does not stand still at the voice 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 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 mounts up
And makes (J)his nest on high?
28 “On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.
29 “From there he (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 39:12 Lit seed
  4. Job 39:13 Or a stork
  5. Job 39:15 Lit it
  6. Job 39:15 Lit it
  7. Job 39:16 Lit without fear
  8. Job 39:18 Or to flee
  9. Job 39:21 Lit They paw
  10. Job 39:24 Or swallows up
  11. Job 39:27 Lit mouth

39 Eternal One: Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth?
        Do you attend at the doe’s delivery?
    Can you keep track of the months until each carries to term?
        Do you even know their calving season?
    They drop to their knees to birth their young,
        and their labor pains cease to grip.
    Their offspring grow to their full strength in the open field;
        then they leave and do not return.

    Who set the wild donkey free?
        Who cut it loose from its bonds?
    I gave it the wastelands for a home
        and the salt flats for a dwelling.
    It avoids the commotion of the city;
        it is far from the shouts of the mule driver and never has to obey one.
    Instead, it trundles through hills in search of pasture,
        its eyes ever watchful for a patch of green.
    Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
        Will it be content to stay the night beside your feeding trough?
10     Can you confine the wild ox with a rope to plow a straight furrow?
        Will it cultivate the valleys as you pull him along?
11     Can you trust it simply because of its enormous strength?
        Can you really leave your work to it without guiding it?
12     Can you depend on it to return the remaining seed to you,
        to carry the grain to your threshing floor?

God now speaks to Job of the ostrich. Is Job as foolish as this stupid bird who leaves her eggs on the ground?

13     The ostrich flaps her wings,
        and the ringing joy is heard.
        But her wings and pinions are not like a stork’s. She cannot fly.
14     She is different from other birds,
        for she lays her eggs straight on the ground,
        and she incubates them in the bare dust.
15     She forgets that a foot might crush them
        or a wild animal trample them.
16     She is harsh to her young, as if they were not even hers.
        She is unconcerned at the futility of her labor,
17     For God denied her a share of wisdom,
        and in doling out understanding, He passed her by.
18     Oh and yet, look at her when the time comes to run—
        she spreads her strange wings and laughs at the horse who must be guided by his rider
        although she is an absurd bird who can’t even fly.

19     And oh, of course—now let us speak of the horse!
        Do you give that creature its power?
        Do you adorn its neck with that flowing mane?
20     Do you make it leap like a locust
        and terrify the enemy with its dreadful snorting?
21     It paws and stamps the valley ground, prancing and gloating at its strength;
        and it greets the battle with a charge.
22     It laughs at fear, is a stranger to panic,
        and will not turn away from any oncoming blade.
23     Though the quiver’s arrows rattle at its side,
        though the spear and lance flash in its eyes,
24     It is a storm and a fury devouring the ground ahead,
        set off by the blast of the trumpet, unable to stand still.
25     Stirred by the trumpet sound to charge,
        the horse responds with its own blast
        and smells the blood of battle from a distance,
        amid commands barked by officers and shouts of alarm.

26     Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom,
        stretching its wings toward the south?
27     Does the eagle take flight at your command,
        or build its nest in the towering heights?
28     On jutting cliffs it lives and keeps the night;
        on rocky crags it builds its mountain stronghold.
29     From there it spies its prey;
        its keen eyes discover its victim still far off.
30     Its young ones feast on blood,
        and wherever the slain lie, there it is.

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)