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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

Job: Man’s Frailty and God’s Majesty

26 But Job answered and said:

“How have you helped him who is without power?
How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?
And how have you declared sound advice to many?
To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit came from you?

“The dead tremble,
Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.
(A)Sheol is naked before Him,
And Destruction has no covering.
(B)He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
(C)He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds [a]are not broken under it.
He covers the face of His throne,
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 (D)He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,
At the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble,
And are [b]astonished at His rebuke.
12 (E)He stirs up the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He breaks up [c]the storm.
13 (F)By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced (G)the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:8 do not break
  2. Job 26:11 amazed
  3. Job 26:12 Heb. rahab