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Job 39-40
English Standard Version
Job 39-40
English Standard Version
39 “Do you know when (A)the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe (B)the calving of the does?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
3 when they (C)crouch, bring forth their offspring,
and are delivered of their young?
4 Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
they go out and (D)do not return to them.
5 “Who has let the wild donkey go free?
Who has (E)loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 to whom I have given (F)the arid plain for his home
and (G)the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 He scorns the tumult of the city;
he hears not the shouts of the driver.
8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture,
and he searches after every green thing.
9 “Is (H)the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will he spend the night at your (I)manger?
10 Can you bind (J)him in the furrow with ropes,
or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great,
and will you leave to him your labor?
12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
but are they the pinions and plumage of love?[a]
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
and that the wild beast may trample them.
16 She (K)deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
though her (L)labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
17 because God has made her forget wisdom
and (M)given her no share in understanding.
18 When she rouses herself to flee,[b]
she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic (N)snorting is terrifying.
21 He paws[c] in the valley and exults in his strength;
he (O)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon him rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;
he cannot stand still at (P)the sound of the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
and spreads his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes his (Q)nest on high?
28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
on (R)the rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there he spies out the prey;
his eyes behold it from far away.
30 His young ones suck up blood,
and (S)where the slain are, there is he.”
40 And the Lord (T)said to Job:
2 “Shall a faultfinder (U)contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
Job Promises Silence
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
4 “Behold, I am (V)of small account; what shall I answer you?
(W)I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 I have spoken (X)once, and I will not answer;
(Y)twice, but I will proceed no further.”
The Lord Challenges Job
6 Then the Lord (Z)answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
7 (AA)“Dress for action[d] like a man;
(AB)I will question you, and you make it known to me.
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that (AC)you may be in the right?
9 Have you (AD)an arm like God,
and can you thunder with (AE)a voice like his?
10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
(AF)clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on everyone who is (AG)proud and abase him.
12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
and (AH)tread down the wicked (AI)where they stand.
13 (AJ)Hide them all in (AK)the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.[e]
14 Then will I also acknowledge to you
that your own (AL)right hand can save you.
15 “Behold, Behemoth,[f]
which I made as I made you;
he eats (AM)grass like an ox.
16 Behold, his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.
19 “He is (AN)the first of (AO)the works[g] of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
20 For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.
21 Under the lotus plants he lies,
in the shelter of (AP)the reeds and in the marsh.
22 For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
the willows of the brook surround him.
23 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24 Can one take him by his eyes,[h]
or pierce his nose with a snare?
Footnotes
Job 39-40
New International Version
Job 39-40
New International Version
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats(A) give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?(B)
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?(C)
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
5 “Who let the wild donkey(D) go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland(E) as its home,
the salt flats(F) as its habitat.(G)
7 It laughs(H) at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.(I)
8 It ranges the hills(J) for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox(K) consent to serve you?(L)
Will it stay by your manger(M) at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?(N)
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?(O)
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.(P)
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.(Q)
16 She treats her young harshly,(R) as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.(S)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs(T) at horse and rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength(U)
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(V)
striking terror(W) with its proud snorting?(X)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(Y)
and charges into the fray.(Z)
22 It laughs(AA) at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(AB) rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear(AC) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(AD)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(AE) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(AF)
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?(AG)
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?(AH)
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag(AI) is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;(AJ)
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”(AK)
40 The Lord said to Job:(AL)
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty(AM) correct him?(AN)
Let him who accuses God answer him!”(AO)
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am unworthy(AP)—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.(AQ)
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer(AR)—
twice, but I will say no more.”(AS)
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:(AT)
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(AU)
8 “Would you discredit my justice?(AV)
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?(AW)
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,(AX)
and can your voice(AY) thunder like his?(AZ)
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.(BA)
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,(BB)
look at all who are proud and bring them low,(BC)
12 look at all who are proud(BD) and humble them,(BE)
crush(BF) the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;(BG)
shroud their faces in the grave.(BH)
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.(BI)
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made(BJ) along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.(BK)
16 What strength(BL) it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!(BM)
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.(BN)
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs(BO) like rods of iron.(BP)
19 It ranks first among the works of God,(BQ)
yet its Maker(BR) can approach it with his sword.(BS)
20 The hills bring it their produce,(BT)
and all the wild animals play(BU) nearby.(BV)
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds(BW) in the marsh.(BX)
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream(BY) surround it.
23 A raging river(BZ) does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan(CA) should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?(CB)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.