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Il Signore risponde a Giobbe descrivendo le sue opere

38 (A)Allora il Signore rispose a Giobbe dal seno della tempesta e disse:

«Chi è costui che oscura i miei disegni con parole prive di senno?

Cingiti i fianchi come un prode; io ti farò delle domande e tu insegnami!

Dov’eri tu quando io fondavo la terra? Dillo, se hai tanta intelligenza.

Chi ne fissò le dimensioni, se lo sai, o chi tirò sopra di essa la corda da misurare?

Su che furono poggiate le sue fondamenta, o chi ne pose la pietra angolare,

quando le stelle del mattino cantavano tutte assieme e tutti i figli di Dio alzavano grida di gioia?

Chi chiuse con porte il mare balzante fuori dal grembo materno,

quando gli diedi le nubi come rivestimento e per fasce l’oscurità,

10 quando gli tracciai dei confini, gli misi sbarre e porte?

11 Allora gli dissi: “Fin qui tu verrai, e non oltre; qui si fermerà l’orgoglio dei tuoi flutti”.

12 Hai tu mai, in vita tua, comandato al mattino, o insegnato il suo luogo all’aurora

13 perché essa afferri i lembi della terra e ne scuota via i malvagi?

14 La terra si trasfigura come creta sotto il sigillo e appare come vestita di un ricco manto;

15 i malfattori sono privati della luce loro, e il braccio, alzato già, è spezzato.

16 Sei tu penetrato fino alle sorgenti del mare? Hai tu passeggiato in fondo all’abisso?

17 Le porte della morte sono state da te scoperte? Hai tu veduto le porte dell’ombra di morte?

18 Hai tu abbracciato con lo sguardo l’ampiezza della terra? Parla, se la conosci tutta!

19 Dov’è la via che guida al soggiorno della luce? Le tenebre dove hanno la loro sede?

20 Le puoi tu guidare verso i loro domini e conosci i sentieri per ricondurle a casa?

21 Lo sai di sicuro! Perché tu eri allora già nato, e il numero dei tuoi giorni è grande!

22 Sei forse entrato nei depositi della neve? Li hai visti i depositi della grandine,

23 che io tengo in serbo per i giorni della sciagura, per il giorno della battaglia e della guerra?

24 Per quali vie si diffonde la luce e si sparge il vento orientale sulla terra?

25 Chi ha aperto i canali all’acquazzone e segnato la via al lampo dei tuoni,

26 perché la pioggia cada sulla terra inabitata, sul deserto dove non sta nessun uomo,

27 e disseti le solitudini desolate, sicché vi germogli e cresca l’erba?

28 Ha forse la pioggia un padre? Chi genera le gocce della rugiada?

29 Dal seno di chi esce il ghiaccio, e la brina del cielo chi la dà alla luce?

30 Le acque, divenute come pietra, si nascondono, e la superficie dell’abisso si congela.

31 Puoi tu stringere i legami delle Pleiadi, o potresti sciogliere le catene di Orione?

32 Puoi tu, a suo tempo, far apparire le costellazioni e guidare l’Orsa maggiore insieme ai suoi piccini?

33 Conosci le leggi del cielo? Regoli il suo dominio sulla terra?

34 Puoi alzare la voce fino alle nubi e fare in modo che piogge abbondanti ti ricoprano?

35 I fulmini partono forse al tuo comando? Ti dicono essi: “Eccoci qua”?

36 Chi ha messo negli strati delle nubi saggezza, o chi ha dato intelletto alla metèora[a]?

37 Chi conta con saggezza le nubi? Chi versa gli otri del cielo,

38 quando la polvere stemperata diventa una massa in fusione e le zolle dei campi si saldano fra loro?

Dio si prende cura degli animali

39 (B)«Sei tu che cacci la preda per la leonessa, che sazi la fame dei leoncelli,

40 quando si appiattano nelle tane e si mettono in agguato nella macchia?

41 Chi provvede il pasto al corvo quando i suoi piccini gridano a Dio e vanno peregrinando senza cibo?

Footnotes

  1. Giobbe 38:36 Chi ha messo negli strati delle nubi saggezza, o chi ha dato intelletto alla metèora? Altri traducono: chi ha messo sapienza nell’interno dell’uomo? o chi ha dato intelligenza al cuore di lui?

Yahweh Answers Job

38 Then Yahweh (A)answered Job out of the [a]whirlwind and said,

“Who is this that (B)darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
Now (C)gird up your loins like a man,
And (D)I will ask you, and you make Me know!
Where were you (E)when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know understanding,
Who set its (F)measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
On what (G)were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together
And all the (H)sons of God shouted for joy?

“Or who (I)enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb,
When I made a cloud its garment
And dense gloom its swaddling band,
10 And I [b](J)placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop’?

Yahweh Answers Job, “Have You?”

12 “Have you [c]ever in your life commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might seize (K)the ends of the earth,
And (L)the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand forth like clothing.
15 (M)From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the arm (N)raised high is broken.

16 “Have you entered into (O)the springs of the sea
Or walked [d]in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
Or have you seen the gates of the (P)shadow of death?
18 Have you carefully considered the [e]expanse of (Q)the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

19 “Where is the way to where the light dwells?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to (R)its territory
And that you may discern the paths to its [f]home?
21 You know, for (S)you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!

22 Have you entered the storehouses (T)of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the (U)hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?
24 Where is the way that (V)the light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?

25 “Who has cleft a conduit for the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt,
26 To bring (W)rain on a land without [g]people,
On a desert without a man in it,
27 To (X)satisfy the waste and desolate land
And to make the growth of grass to sprout?
28 Has (Y)the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb has come the (Z)ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 Water [h]becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep [i]is interlocked.

31 “Can you bind the chains of the (AA)Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
32 Can you lead forth a [j]constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her [k]satellites?
33 Do you know the (AB)statutes of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice up to the clouds,
So that an (AC)abundance of water will cover you?
35 Can you (AD)send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has (AE)given wisdom in the [l]innermost being
Or given (AF)understanding to the [m]mind?
37 Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
Or (AG)tip the water jars of the heavens,
38 When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?

Yahweh Answers Job, “Where Were You?”

39 “Can you hunt the (AH)prey for the lion,
Or fulfill the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they (AI)crouch in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?
41 Who prepares for (AJ)the raven its provision
When its young cry for help to God
And wander about without food?

Footnotes

  1. Job 38:1 Or storm
  2. Job 38:10 Lit broke My decree on it
  3. Job 38:12 Lit from your days
  4. Job 38:16 Or in search of
  5. Job 38:18 Or width
  6. Job 38:20 Lit house
  7. Job 38:26 Lit man
  8. Job 38:30 Lit hides itself
  9. Job 38:30 Or is frozen
  10. Job 38:32 Heb Mazzaroth
  11. Job 38:32 Lit sons
  12. Job 38:36 Or ibis
  13. Job 38:36 Or rooster

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)

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.

The Lord Reveals His Omnipotence to Job(A)

38 Then the Lord answered Job (B)out of the whirlwind, and said:

“Who(C) is this who darkens counsel
By (D)words without knowledge?
(E)Now [a]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.

“Where(F) were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the [b]line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together,
And all (G)the sons of God shouted for joy?

“Or(H) who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When (I)I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
11 When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves (J)must stop!’

12 “Have you (K)commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And (L)the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their (M)light is withheld,
And (N)the [c]upraised arm is broken.

16 “Have you (O)entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17 Have (P)the gates of death been [d]revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
21 Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?

22 “Have you entered (Q)the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
23 (R)Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is light [e]diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?

25 “Who (S)has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
27 (T)To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
28 (U)Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
And the (V)frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is (W)frozen.[f]

31 “Can you bind the cluster of the (X)Pleiades,[g]
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out [h]Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide [i]the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know (Y)the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
36 (Z)Who has put wisdom in [j]the mind?
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?

39 “Can(AA) you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they crouch in their dens,
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
41 (AB)Who provides food for the raven,
When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?

Footnotes

  1. Job 38:3 Lit. gird up your loins like
  2. Job 38:5 measuring line
  3. Job 38:15 Lit. high
  4. Job 38:17 Lit. opened
  5. Job 38:24 Lit. divided
  6. Job 38:30 Lit. imprisoned
  7. Job 38:31 Or the Seven Stars
  8. Job 38:32 Lit. Constellations
  9. Job 38:32 Or Arcturus
  10. Job 38:36 Lit. the inward parts