Job 39
Amplified Bible
God Speaks of Nature and Its Beings
39 “Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock give birth [to their young]?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?
2
“Can you count the months that they [a]carry offspring,
Or do you know the time when they give birth?
3
“They kneel down, they bring forth their young,
They cast out their labor pains.
4
“Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5
“Who sent out the wild donkey free [from dependence on man]?
And who has loosed the bonds of the wild donkey [to survive in the wild],
6
To whom I gave the wilderness as his home
And the salt land as his dwelling place?
7
“He scorns the tumult of the city,
And does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.
8
“He explores the mountains as his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
9
“Will the wild ox be willing to serve you,
Or remain beside your manger at night?
10
“Can you bind the wild ox with a harness [to the plow] in the furrow?
Or will he plow the valleys for you?
11
“Will you trust him because his strength is great
And leave your labor to him?
12
“Will you have faith and depend on him to return your grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?
13
“The [flightless] wings of the ostrich wave joyously;
With the pinion (shackles, fetters) and plumage of love,
14
For she leaves her eggs on the ground
And warms them in the dust,
15
Forgetting that a foot may crush them,
Or that the wild beast may trample them.
16
“She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor is in vain because she is unconcerned [for the safety of her brood],
17
For God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18
“Yet when she lifts herself [b]on high,
[So swift is she that] she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19
“Have you given the horse his might?
Have you clothed his neck with quivering and a shaking mane?
20
“Have you [Job] made him leap like a locust?
The majesty of his snorting [nostrils] is terrible.
21
“He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength;
He goes out to meet the weapons [of armed men].
22
“He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And [in battle] he does not turn back from the sword.
23
“The quiver rattles against him,
[As do] the flashing spear and the lance [of his rider].
24
“With fierceness and rage he races to devour the ground,
And he does not stand still at the sound of the [war] trumpet.
25
“As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he smells the battle from far away,
And senses the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
26
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south [as winter approaches]?
27
“Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
And makes his nest on high [in an inaccessible place]?
28
“On the cliff he dwells and remains [securely],
Upon the point of the rock and the inaccessible stronghold.
29
“From there he spies out the prey;
His eyes see it from far away.
30
“His young ones suck up blood;
And where the slain are, there is he.”
Job 39
New American Standard Bible
God Speaks of Nature and Its Beings
39 “Do you know the time the [a](A)mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the (B)deer?
2 Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
3 They kneel down, they deliver their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.
4 Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5 “Who sent the (C)wild donkey out free?
And who opened the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I gave (D)the wilderness as his home,
And the salt land as his dwelling place?
7 He laughs at the turmoil of the city,
He does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.
8 He explores the mountains of his pasture,
And searches after every green thing.
9 Will the (E)wild bull be willing to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your feeding trough?
10 Can you tie down the wild bull in a furrow with [b]ropes,
Or will he [c]plow the valleys after you?
11 Will you trust him because his strength is great,
And leave your labor to him?
12 Will you have faith in him that he will return your [d]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyously,
With the pinion and feathers of [e]love,
14 For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush [f]them,
Or that a wild animal may trample [g]them.
16 She treats her young (F)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor is for nothing, she is [h]unconcerned,
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 When she rushes away on high,
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 (G)leap like locusts?
His majestic (H)snorting is frightening.
21 [i]He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He (I)goes out to meet the battle.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
24 He [j]races over the ground with a roar and fury,
And he does not stand still when he hears the sound of the trumpet.
25 As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he senses the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your [k]command that the eagle flies high,
And makes (J)his nest on high?
28 He dwells and spends his nights on the cliff,
On the rocky cliff, an inaccessible place.
29 From there he (K)tracks food;
His eyes look at it from afar.
30 His young ones also lick up blood greedily;
And (L)where the slain are, there he is.”
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.