Job 38
Expanded Bible
The Lord Questions Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the ·storm [whirlwind; 9:17]. He said:
2 “Who is this that makes my ·purpose [L counsel; advice] ·unclear [L dark]
·by saying things that are not true [L with ignorant words]?
3 ·Be strong [Brace yourself; L Gird your loins] like a man!
I will ask you questions,
and you must ·answer [inform] me.
4 Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off ·how big it should be [L its measurements]? Surely you know!
Who stretched a ·ruler [line; C surveyor’s instrument] across it?
6 What were the earth’s foundations ·set on [L sunk in],
or who put its cornerstone in place
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the ·angels [L sons of god] shouted with joy?
8 “Who shut the doors to keep the sea in
when it broke through ·and was born [L coming out of the womb],
9 when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea
and ·wrapped [swaddled] it in dark clouds,
10 when I ·put [prescribed] ·limits [boundaries] on the sea
and put its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said to the sea, ‘You may come this far, but no farther;
this is where your proud waves must stop’?
12 “Have you ever ordered the morning to begin,
or ·shown [informed] the dawn where its place was
13 in order to ·take hold of [grasp] the earth by its edges [C the horizon]
and shake evil people out of it [C the light exposes the wicked]?
14 At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal;
·the hills and valleys [L They] stand out like ·folds in a coat [L a garment].
15 Light is ·not given to [held back from] evil people;
their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken.
16 “Have you ever gone to ·where the sea begins [L the sources of the sea]
or walked in the ·valleys under the sea [L depths of the deep]?
17 Have the gates of death been ·opened [or revealed] to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deep darkness?
18 Do you understand how wide the earth is?
Tell me, if you know all these things.
19 “What is the path to light’s home,
and where does darkness live?
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the ·way [path] to their homes?
21 Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened!
Have you lived that many years?
22 “Have you ever gone into the storehouse of the snow
or seen the storehouses for hail,
23 which I save for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24 Where is the place from which light ·comes [L is distributed]?
Where is the place from which the east winds ·blow [scatter] over the earth?
25 Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains
and sets a path for the thunderstorm?
26 Who waters the land where no one lives,
the ·desert [wilderness] that has no one in it?
27 Who sends rain to satisfy the ·empty [L ruined and desolate] land
so the grass begins to grow?
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who ·is father [L has given birth] to the drops of dew?
29 ·Who is the mother of the ice [L From whose womb did the ice come out]?
Who gives birth to the frost from the ·sky [heavens]
30 when the water becomes hard as stone,
and even the surface of the ·ocean [deep] is frozen?
31 “Can you tie up the ·stars [L chains] of the Pleiades
or ·loosen [open] the ·ropes of the stars in [L fetters of] Orion?
32 Can you bring out ·the stars [L Mazzeroth; C probably the name of a specific constellation] on time
or lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the ·sky [heavens]
and ·understand [or set] their rule over the earth?
34 “Can you ·shout an order [L raise your voice] to the clouds
·and [or so that you] cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Can you send lightning bolts on their way?
Do they come to you and say, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who put wisdom ·inside the mind [or in the ibis; C an animal associated with wisdom and representing Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom]
or understanding ·in the heart [or to the rooster]?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can ·pour water from the jars [L tilt the wineskins] of the ·sky [heavens]
38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clumps of dirt stick together?
39 “Do you hunt food for the lioness
to satisfy the hunger of the young lions
40 while they ·lie [crouch] in their dens
or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?
41 Who gives food to the ·birds [L raven]
when their young cry out to God
and wander about without food?
Job 38
Amplified Bible
God Speaks Now to Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2
“Who is this that darkens counsel [questioning my authority and wisdom]
By words without knowledge?(A)
3
“Now [a]gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know and have understanding.
5
“Who determined the measurements [of the earth], if you know?
Or who stretched the [measuring] line on it?
6
“On what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7
When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy?
8
“Or who enclosed the sea with doors
When it burst forth and went out of the womb;
9
When I made the clouds its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10
And marked for it My [appointed] boundary
And set bars and doors [defining the shorelines],(B)
11
And said, ‘This far you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?(C)
God’s Mighty Power
12
“Since your days began, have you ever commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13
So that light may take hold of the corners of the earth
And shake the wickedness out of it?
14
“The earth is changed like clay into which a seal is pressed;
And the things [of the earth] stand out like a [multi-colored] garment.
15
“Their light is withheld from the wicked,
And the uplifted arm is broken.
16
“Have you entered and explored the springs of the sea
Or [have you] walked in the recesses of the deep?
17
“Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18
“Have you understood the expanse of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19
“Where is the [b]way where light dwells?
And as for darkness, where is its place,
20
That you may take it to its territory
And that you may know the paths to its house?
21
“You [must] know, since you were born then,
And [c]because you are so extremely old!
22
“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23
Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?(D)
24
“Where is the way that the light is distributed,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25
“Who has prepared a channel for the torrents of rain and for the flood,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26
To bring rain on the uninhabited land,
And on the desert where no man lives,
27
To satisfy the barren and desolate ground
And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?
28
“Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29
“Out of whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30
“Water becomes like stone [and hides itself],
And the surface of the deep is frozen and imprisoned.
31
“Can you bind the chains of [the cluster of stars called] Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of [the constellation] Orion?
32
“Can you lead forth a [d]constellation in its season,
And guide [the stars of] the Bear with her [e]sons?
33
“Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or [can you] establish their rule over the earth?
34
“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
So that an abundance of water will cover you?
35
“Can you send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36
“Who has put wisdom in the innermost being [of man, or in the layers of clouds]
Or given understanding to the mind [of man, or to the heavenly display]?
37
“Who can count the clouds by [earthly] wisdom,
Or pour out the water jars of the heavens,
38
When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together [because of the heat]?
39
“Can you [Job] hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions
40
When they crouch in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?
41
“Who provides prey for the raven
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?
Footnotes
- Job 38:3 A phrase often found in the Bible that is an urgent call to get ready for immediate action, or it may be a call to prepare for a coming action or event. The phrase is related to the type of clothing worn in ancient times. To keep from impeding the wearer during any vigorous activity, e.g. battle, exercise, strenuous work, etc., the loose ends of garments (tunics, cloaks, mantles, etc.) had to be gathered up and tucked into the girdle. The girdle was a band about six inches wide that had fasteners in front. It was worn around the loins (the midsection of the body between the lower ribs and the hips). Gird up your mind or gird up your heart are examples of variants of this phrase and call for mental or spiritual preparation for a coming challenge.
- Job 38:19 Light travels on a path or “way” through empty space at 299,792,458 meters per second (approximately 186,282 miles per second).
- Job 38:21 Lit the number of your days is great.
- Job 38:32 Heb Mazzaroth.
- Job 38:32 Or satellites.
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