Job 38
English Standard Version
The Lord Answers Job
38 Then the Lord (A)answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 “Who is this that (B)darkens counsel by words (C)without knowledge?
3 (D)Dress for action[a] like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 “Where were you when I (E)laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars (F)sang together
and all (G)the sons of God (H)shouted for joy?
8 “Or who (I)shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb,
9 when I made clouds its garment
and (J)thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed (K)limits for it
and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your (L)proud waves be stayed’?
12 “Have you (M)commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 that it might take hold of (N)the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be (O)shaken out of it?
14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
and its features stand out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their (P)light is withheld,
and (Q)their uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you (R)entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have (S)the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of (T)deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
20 that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern (U)the paths to its home?
21 You know, for (V)you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered (W)the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen (X)the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I have reserved (Y)for the time of trouble,
(Z)for the day of battle and war?
24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
25 “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain
and (AA)a way for the thunderbolt,
26 to bring rain on (AB)a land where no man is,
on (AC)the desert in which there is no man,
27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground sprout with (AD)grass?
28 “Has (AE)the rain a father,
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb did (AF)the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to (AG)the frost of heaven?
30 The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is (AH)frozen.
31 “Can you bind the chains of (AI)the Pleiades
or loose the cords of (AJ)Orion?
32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth[b] in their season,
or can you guide (AK)the Bear with its children?
33 Do you know (AL)the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
that (AM)a flood of waters may cover you?
35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has (AN)put wisdom in (AO)the inward parts[c]
or given understanding to the mind?[d]
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
38 when the dust runs into a mass
and (AP)the clods stick fast together?
Job 38
Christian Standard Bible
The Lord Speaks
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind.(A) He said:
2 Who is this who obscures my counsel
with ignorant words?(B)
3 Get ready to answer me like a man;
when I question(C) you, you will inform me.
4 Where were you when I established(D) the earth?
Tell me, if you have[a] understanding.
5 Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 What supports its foundations?
Or who laid its cornerstone
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God(E) shouted for joy?
8 Who enclosed the sea behind doors
when it burst from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and total darkness its blanket,[b](F)
10 when I determined its boundaries[c]
and put its bars and doors in place,
11 when I declared, “You may come this far, but no farther;
your proud waves stop here”?
12 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning
or assigned the dawn its place,
13 so it may seize the edges of the earth
and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth is changed as clay is by a seal;
its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.
15 Light[d] is withheld from the wicked,
and the arm raised in violence is broken.
16 Have you traveled to the sources of the sea
or walked in the depths of the oceans?
17 Have the gates(G) of death been revealed to you?
Have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the extent of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.
19 Where is the road to the home of light?
Do you know where darkness lives,
20 so you can lead it back to its border?
Are you familiar with the paths to its home?
21 Don’t you know? You were already born;(H)
you have lived so long![e]
22 Have you entered the place where the snow is stored?
Or have you seen the storehouses of hail,(I)
23 which I hold in reserve for times of trouble,
for the day of warfare and battle?(J)
24 What road leads to the place where light is dispersed?[f]
Where is the source of the east wind that spreads across the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the flooding rain
or clears the way for lightning,
26 to bring rain on an uninhabited land,
on a desert with no human life,[g]
27 to satisfy the parched wasteland
and cause the grass to sprout?(K)
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who fathered the drops of dew?(L)
29 Whose womb did the ice come from?
Who gave birth to the frost of heaven
30 when water becomes as hard as stone,[h]
and the surface of the watery depths is frozen?(M)
31 Can you fasten the chains of the Pleiades
or loosen the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out the constellations[i] in their season
and lead the Bear[j] and her cubs?(N)
33 Do you know the laws(O) of heaven?
Can you impose its[k] authority on earth?
34 Can you command[l] the clouds
so that a flood of water covers you?(P)
35 Can you send out lightning(Q) bolts, and they go?
Do they report to you, “Here we are”?
36 Who put wisdom(R) in the heart[m]
or gave the mind understanding?
37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven
38 when the dust hardens like cast metal
and the clods of dirt stick together?
39 Can you hunt prey for a lioness
or satisfy the appetite of young lions(S)
40 when they crouch in their dens
and lie in wait within their lairs?
41 Who provides the raven’s food(T)
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?
Footnotes
- 38:4 Lit know
- 38:9 Lit swaddling clothes
- 38:10 Lit I broke my statute on it
- 38:15 Lit Their light
- 38:21 Lit born; the number of your days is great
- 38:24 Or where lightning is distributed
- 38:26 Lit no man in it
- 38:30 Lit water hides itself as the stone
- 38:32 Or Mazzaroth; Hb obscure
- 38:32 Or lead Aldebaran
- 38:33 Or God’s
- 38:34 Lit lift up your voice to
- 38:36 Or the inner self; Ps 51:6
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.