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Who Can Understand God?

26 Then Job answered and said,

“What a help you are to (A)the one without power!
How you have saved the arm (B)without strength!
What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What sound wisdom you have abundantly made known!
To whom have you declared words?
And whose breath comes out from you?

“The [a](C)departed spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
Naked is (D)Sheol before Him,
And [b](E)Abaddon has no covering.
He (F)stretches out the north over what is formless
And hangs the earth on nothing.
He (G)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not break out under them.
He [c](H)obscures the face of His [d]throne
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 He has marked a (I)circle on the surface of the waters
At the (J)boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
And are astonished at His rebuke.
12 He (K)quieted the sea with His power,
And by His (L)understanding He crushed (M)Rahab.
13 By His breath the (N)heavens are made beautiful;
His hand has pierced (O)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how only with a whisper of (P)a word do we hear of Him!
But His mighty (Q)thunder, who can understand?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:5 Or shades; Heb Rephaim
  2. Job 26:6 Lit the realm of destruction
  3. Job 26:9 Lit covers
  4. Job 26:9 Or full moon

26 Then Job answered and said,

How hast thou helped him that is without power!
How hast thou saved the arm that hath no strength!
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom,
And plentifully declared sound knowledge!
To whom hast thou uttered words?
And whose [a]spirit came forth from thee?

[b]They that are deceased tremble
Beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof.
Sheol is naked before [c]God,
And [d]Abaddon hath no covering.
He stretcheth out the north over empty space,
And hangeth the earth [e]upon nothing.
He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds;
And the cloud is not rent under them.
He incloseth the face of his throne,
And spreadeth his cloud upon it.
10 He hath described a boundary upon the face of the waters,
Unto the confines of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
And are astonished at his rebuke.
12 He [f]stirreth up the sea with his power,
And by his understanding he smiteth through Rahab.
13 By his Spirit the heavens are [g]garnished;
His hand hath pierced the [h]swift serpent.
14 Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways:
And [i]how small a whisper [j]do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his [k]power who can understand?

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:4 Hebrew breath.
  2. Job 26:5 Or, The shades. Hebrew The Rephaim.
  3. Job 26:6 Hebrew him.
  4. Job 26:6 Or, Destruction
  5. Job 26:7 Or, over
  6. Job 26:12 Or, stilleth
  7. Job 26:13 Hebrew beauty.
  8. Job 26:13 Or, fleeing. Or, gliding
  9. Job 26:14 Or, how little a portion
  10. Job 26:14 Or, is heard
  11. Job 26:14 Or, mighty deeds