Job 38
New American Standard Bible
God Speaks Now to Job
38 Then the Lord (A)answered Job from the whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this who (B)darkens the divine plan
By words without knowledge?
3 Now [a](C)tighten the belt on your waist like a man,
And (D)I shall ask you, and you inform Me!
4 Where were you (E)when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you [b]have understanding,
5 Who set its (F)measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the measuring line over it?
6 On what (G)were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the (H)sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who (I)enclosed the sea with doors
When it went out from the womb, bursting forth;
9 When I made a cloud its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling bands,
10 And I [c](J)placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?
God’s Mighty Power
12 “Have you [d]ever in your life commanded the morning,
And made the dawn know its place,
13 So that it would take hold of (K)the ends of the earth,
And (L)the wicked would be shaken off from it?
14 It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand out like a garment.
15 (M)Their light is withheld from the wicked,
And the (N)uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered (O)the springs of the sea,
And walked [e]in the depth of the ocean?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
And have you seen the gates of (P)deep darkness?
18 Have you understood the [f]expanse of (Q)the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you would take it to (R)its territory,
And discern the paths to its [g]home?
21 You know, for (S)you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
22 Have you entered the storehouses (T)of the snow,
And have you seen the storehouses of the (U)hail,
23 Which I have reserved for a time of distress,
For a day of war and battle?
24 Where is the way that (V)the light is divided,
And the east wind scattered on the earth?
25 “Who has split open a channel for the flood,
And a way for the thunderbolt,
26 To bring (W)rain on a land without [h]people,
On a desert without a person in it,
27 To (X)satisfy the waste and desolate land,
And to make the [i]seeds of grass to sprout?
28 Does (Y)the rain have a father?
Or who has fathered the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb has come the (Z)ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 Water [j]becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31 “Can you tie up the chains of the (AA)Pleiades,
Or untie the cords of Orion?
32 Can you bring out a [k]constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her [l]satellites?
33 Do you know the (AB)ordinances of the heavens,
Or do you establish their rule over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds,
So that an (AC)abundance of water will cover you?
35 Can you (AD)send flashes of lightning, so that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has (AE)put wisdom in the innermost being,
Or given (AF)understanding to the [m]mind?
37 Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
And (AG)pour out the water jars of the heavens,
38 When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?
39 “Can you hunt the (AH)prey for the lioness,
Or satisfy the appetite of young lions,
40 When they (AI)crouch in their hiding places,
And lie in wait in their lair?
41 Who prepares [n]feed for (AJ)the raven
When its young cry to God,
And wander about without food?
Footnotes
- Job 38:3 I.e., as if for battle
- Job 38:4 Lit know understanding
- Job 38:10 Lit broke My decree on it
- Job 38:12 Lit from your days commanded
- Job 38:16 Or in search of the deep
- Job 38:18 Or width
- Job 38:20 Lit house
- Job 38:26 Lit man
- Job 38:27 Or growth
- Job 38:30 Lit hides itself like
- Job 38:32 Heb Mazzaroth
- Job 38:32 Lit sons
- Job 38:36 Or rooster
- Job 38:41 Lit its feed
Job 38
International Standard Version
The Lord Speaks to Job
38 The Lord responded to Job from the whirlwind and said:
2 “Who is this who keeps darkening my counsel
without knowing what he’s talking about?
3 Stand up[a] like a man!
I’ll ask you some questions,
and you give me some answers!”
On the Natural World
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of my earth?
Tell me,[b] since you’re so informed!
5 Who set its measurement? Am I to assume you know?
Who stretched a boundary line over it?
6 On what were its bases set?
Who laid its corner stone
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the divine beings[c] shouted joyfully?
8 “Who[d] enclosed the sea with limits[e]
when it gushed out of the womb,
9 when I made clouds to be its clothes
and thick darkness its swaddling blanket,
10 when I proscribed a boundary for it,
set in place bars and doors for it;
11 and said, ‘You may come only this far and no more.
Your majestic waves will stop here.’?
12 “Have you ever commanded the morning at any time during your life?[f]
Do you know where the dawn lives,
13 where it seizes the edge of the earth
and shakes the wicked out of it?
14 Like clay is molded by a signet ring,
the earth’s hills and valleys[g] then stand out
like the colors of a garment.
15 Then from the wicked their light is withheld
and their upraised arm is broken.
16 “Have you been to the source of the sea
and walked about in the recesses of the deepest ocean?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18 Do you understand the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, since you know it all!
19 “Where is the road to where the light lives?
Or where does the darkness live?
20 Can you take it to its homeland,
since you know the path to his house?
21 You should know! After all, you had been born back then,
so the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen where the hail is stored,
23 which I’ve reserved for the tribulation to come,
for the day of battle and war?
24 Where is the lightning diffused
or the east wind scattered around the earth?
25 “Who cuts canals for storm floods,
and paths for the lightning and thunder,
26 to bring rain upon a land without inhabitants,
a desert in which no human beings live,
27 to satisfy a desolate and devastated desert,
causing it to sprout vegetation?
28 “Does the rain have a father?
Who fathered the dew?
29 Whose womb brings forth the ice?
Who gives birth to frost out of an empty[h] sky,
30 when water solidifies[i] like stone
and the surface of the deepest sea freezes?
On the Heavens
31 “Can you bind the chains of Pleiades
or loosen the cords of Orion?
32 Can you bring out constellations in their season?
Can you guide the Bear with her cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you regulate their authority over the earth?
34 “Can you call out to the clouds,
so that abundant water drenches you?
35 Can you command the lightning,
so that it goes forth and calls to you, ‘Look at us!’[j]
36 “Who sets wisdom within you,
or imbues your mind with understanding?
37 Who has the wisdom to be able to count the clouds,
or to empty[k] the water jars of heaven,
38 when dust dries into a mass
and then breaks apart into clods?
On the Animal World
39 “Can you hunt prey for the lioness
to satisfy young lions
40 when they crouch in their dens
and lie in ambush in their lairs?
41 Who prepares food for the raven,
when its offspring cry out to God
as they wander for lack of food?”
Footnotes
- Job 38:3 Lit. Gird up your loins
- Job 38:4 Or declare
- Job 38:7 Lit. sons of God
- Job 38:8 Lit. and he
- Job 38:8 Lit. doors
- Job 38:12 Lit. morning in your days
- Job 38:14 The Heb. lacks the earth’s hills and valleys
- Job 38:29 The Heb. lacks an empty
- Job 38:30 Or harden
- Job 38:35 Lit. Here we are
- Job 38:37 Lit. cause to rest, lie down
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
