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Job 37-38
Easy-to-Read Version
Job 37-38
Easy-to-Read Version
37 “The thunder and lightning frighten me;
my heart pounds in my chest.
2 Listen to God’s thundering voice!
Listen to the sound coming from his mouth.
3 He sends his lightning to flash across the whole sky.
It lights up the earth from one end to the other.
4 After the flashes of lightning you can hear his roaring voice.
He thunders with his wonderful voice!
And while his voice thunders, the lightning flashes continue.
5 God’s thundering voice is amazing!
He does great things that we cannot understand.
6 He says to the snow,
‘Fall on the earth.’
And he says to the rain,
‘Pour down on the earth.’
7 God does this to stop everyone’s work
and to show the people he made what he can do.
8 The animals run into their dens and stay there.
9 Whirlwinds come from the south.
The cold winds come from the north.
10 God’s breath makes ice
and freezes even large bodies of water.
11 He fills the clouds with water
and scatters his lightning through them.
12 He orders the clouds to be blown all around the earth.
The clouds do whatever he commands.
13 He causes the clouds to punish people with floods
or to water his earth and show his love.
14 “Job, stop for a minute and listen.
Think about the wonderful things God does.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds?
Do you know how he makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the clouds hang in the sky?
This is just one of the amazing works of the one who knows everything.
17 All you know is that you sweat, your clothes stick to you,
and all is still and quiet when the heat wave comes from the south.
18 Can you help God spread out the sky
and make it shine like polished brass?
19 “Job, tell us what we should say to God!
We cannot think of what to say because of our ignorance.[a]
20 I would not tell God that I wanted to talk to him.
That would be like asking to be destroyed.
21 A person cannot look at the sun.
It is too bright as it shines in the sky after the wind blows the clouds away.
22 In the same way God’s golden glory shines from the Holy Mountain.[b]
He is surrounded by the brightest light.
23 We have seen that God All-Powerful really is all powerful!
But he is just and never treats anyone unfairly.[c]
24 That is why people fear and respect him.
He shows no respect for those who think they are wise.”
God Speaks to Job
38 Then the Lord spoke to Job from a whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this ignorant person
saying these foolish things?[d]
3 Prepare yourself for an attack!
Get ready to answer the questions I will ask you.
4 “Where were you when I made the earth?
If you are so smart, answer me.
5 And who decided how big the earth should be?
Who measured it with a measuring line?
6 What is the earth resting on?
Who put the first stone in its place
7 when the morning stars sang together
and the angels[e] shouted with joy?
8 “Who closed the flood gates
as the sea gushed from the womb?
9 Who covered it with clouds
and wrapped it in darkness?
10 I set the limits for the sea
and put it behind locked gates.
11 I said to the sea, ‘You can come this far, but no farther.
This is where your proud waves will stop.’
12 “Did you ever in your life command the morning to begin
or the day to dawn?
13 Did you ever tell the morning light to grab the earth
and shake those who are evil out of their hiding places?
14 The morning light makes the hills
and valleys easy to see.
When the daylight comes to the earth,
the shapes of these places stand out like the folds of a coat.
They take shape like soft clay
that is pressed with a stamp.
15 Evil people don’t like the daylight.
When it shines bright, it keeps them from doing the bad things they do.
16 “Have you ever gone to the deepest parts of the sea?
Have you ever walked on the ocean bottom?
17 Has anyone shown you the gates to the world of the dead?
Have you ever seen those gates that lead to the dark place of death?
18 Do you really understand how big the earth is?
Tell me, if you know all this.
19 “Where does light come from?
Where does darkness come from?
20 Can you take them back to where they belong?
Do you know how to get there?
21 Surely you know these things, since you are so old and wise.
You were alive when I made them, weren’t you?[f]
22 “Have you ever gone into the storerooms
where I keep the snow and the hail?
23 I save them there for times of trouble,
for the times of war and battle.
24 Have you ever gone to the place where the sun comes up,
where it makes the east wind blow all over the earth?[g]
25 Who dug ditches in the sky for the heavy rain?
Who made a path for the thunderstorm?
26 Who makes it rain even in desert places
where no one lives?
27 The rain gives that dry empty land all the water it needs,
and grass begins to grow.
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who produces the drops of dew?
29 Does ice have a mother?
Who gives birth to the frost?
30 That’s when the water freezes as hard as a rock.
Even the deep sea freezes over!
31 “Can you tie up the Pleiades[h]?
Can you unfasten the belt of Orion[i]?
32 Can you bring out the other constellations[j] at the right times?
Can you lead out the Bear[k] with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws that control the sky?
Can you put each star in its place above the earth?[l]
34 “Can you shout at the clouds
and command them to cover you with rain?
35 Can you give a command to the lightning?
Will it come to you and say, ‘Here we are; what do you want, sir?’
Will it go wherever you want it to go?
36 “Who makes people wise?
Who puts wisdom deep inside them?
37 Who is wise enough to count the clouds
and tip them over to pour out their rain?
38 The rain makes the dust become mud,
and the clumps of dirt stick together.
39 “Do you find food for the lions?
Do you feed their hungry babies?
40 No, they hide in their caves
or wait in the grass, ready to attack their prey.
41 Who feeds the ravens when their babies cry out to God
and wander around without food?
Footnotes
- Job 37:19 We cannot … ignorance Literally, “We cannot arrange our thoughts because of the darkness.”
- Job 37:22 Holy Mountain Or “the north” or “Zaphon.”
- Job 37:23 But he … unfairly Or “He does not answer us when we try to sue him for justice.”
- Job 38:2 Or “Who is this person darkening advice with ignorant words.”
- Job 38:7 angels Literally, “sons of God.”
- Job 38:21 This is sarcasm—saying something in a way that everyone understands it is not really true.
- Job 38:24 Or “Where is the place that the fog disperses and the place where the east wind scatters it all over the earth?”
- Job 38:31 Pleiades A famous group of stars. It is often called, “The Seven Sisters.”
- Job 38:31 Orion A famous group of stars. It looks like a hunter or powerful soldier.
- Job 38:32 constellations Groups of stars in the night sky. Here, this probably means the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. They seem to pass through the sky so that a new constellation is in a certain part of the sky each month.
- Job 38:32 Bear A famous group of stars. It looks like a bear. It is often called, “the Big Dipper.” Near it is a smaller constellation that looks like a small bear. It is often called, “the Little Dipper.”
- Job 38:33 Can you … earth Or “Can you put it in charge over the earth?”
Job 37-38
New International Version
Job 37-38
New International Version
37 “At this my heart pounds(A)
and leaps from its place.
2 Listen!(B) Listen to the roar of his voice,(C)
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.(D)
3 He unleashes his lightning(E) beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.(F)
4 After that comes the sound of his roar;
he thunders(G) with his majestic voice.(H)
When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.
5 God’s voice thunders(I) in marvelous ways;(J)
he does great things beyond our understanding.(K)
6 He says to the snow,(L) ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’(M)
7 So that everyone he has made may know his work,(N)
he stops all people from their labor.[a](O)
8 The animals take cover;(P)
they remain in their dens.(Q)
9 The tempest comes out from its chamber,(R)
the cold from the driving winds.(S)
10 The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.(T)
11 He loads the clouds with moisture;(U)
he scatters his lightning(V) through them.(W)
12 At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.(X)
13 He brings the clouds to punish people,(Y)
or to water his earth and show his love.(Z)
14 “Listen(AA) to this, Job;
stop and consider God’s wonders.(AB)
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning(AC) flash?(AD)
16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised,(AE)
those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?(AF)
17 You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,(AG)
18 can you join him in spreading out the skies,(AH)
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?(AI)
19 “Tell us what we should say to him;(AJ)
we cannot draw up our case(AK) because of our darkness.(AL)
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
21 Now no one can look at the sun,(AM)
bright as it is in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.
22 Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;(AN)
God comes in awesome majesty.(AO)
23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;(AP)
in his justice(AQ) and great righteousness, he does not oppress.(AR)
24 Therefore, people revere him,(AS)
for does he not have regard for all the wise(AT) in heart?[b]”
The Lord Speaks
38 Then the Lord spoke to Job(AU) out of the storm.(AV) He said:
2 “Who is this that obscures my plans(AW)
with words without knowledge?(AX)
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(AY)
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?(AZ)
Tell me, if you understand.(BA)
5 Who marked off its dimensions?(BB) Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line(BC) across it?
6 On what were its footings set,(BD)
or who laid its cornerstone(BE)—
7 while the morning stars(BF) sang together(BG)
and all the angels[c](BH) shouted for joy?(BI)
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors(BJ)
when it burst forth from the womb,(BK)
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,(BL)
10 when I fixed limits for it(BM)
and set its doors and bars in place,(BN)
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;(BO)
here is where your proud waves halt’?(BP)
12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,(BQ)
or shown the dawn its place,(BR)
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked(BS) out of it?(BT)
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;(BU)
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,(BV)
and their upraised arm is broken.(BW)
16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?(BX)
17 Have the gates of death(BY) been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?(BZ)
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?(CA)
Tell me, if you know all this.(CB)
19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?(CC)
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths(CD) to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!(CE)
You have lived so many years!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow(CF)
or seen the storehouses(CG) of the hail,(CH)
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,(CI)
for days of war and battle?(CJ)
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,(CK)
or the place where the east winds(CL) are scattered over the earth?(CM)
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,(CN)
26 to water(CO) a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,(CP)
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?(CQ)
28 Does the rain have a father?(CR)
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens(CS)
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?(CT)
31 “Can you bind the chains[d] of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?(CU)
32 Can you bring forth the constellations(CV) in their seasons[e]
or lead out the Bear[f] with its cubs?(CW)
33 Do you know the laws(CX) of the heavens?(CY)
Can you set up God’s[g] dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?(CZ)
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?(DA)
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[h](DB)
or gives the rooster understanding?[i](DC)
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars(DD) of the heavens(DE)
38 when the dust becomes hard(DF)
and the clods of earth stick together?(DG)
Footnotes
- Job 37:7 Or work, / he fills all people with fear by his power
- Job 37:24 Or for he does not have regard for any who think they are wise.
- Job 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God
- Job 38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty
- Job 38:32 Or the morning star in its season
- Job 38:32 Or out Leo
- Job 38:33 Or their
- Job 38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
- Job 38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.