Job 39
Young's Literal Translation
39 Hast thou known the time of The bearing of the wild goats of the rock? The bringing forth of hinds thou dost mark!
2 Thou dost number the months they fulfil? And thou hast known the time of their bringing forth!
3 They bow down, Their young ones they bring forth safely, Their pangs they cast forth.
4 Safe are their young ones, They grow up in the field, they have gone out, And have not returned to them.
5 Who hath sent forth the wild ass free? Yea, the bands of the wild ass who opened?
6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, And his dwellings the barren land,
7 He doth laugh at the multitude of a city, The cries of an exactor he heareth not.
8 The range of mountains [is] his pasture, And after every green thing he seeketh.
9 Is a Reem willing to serve thee? Doth he lodge by thy crib?
10 Dost thou bind a Reem in a furrow [with] his thick band? Doth he harrow valleys after thee?
11 Dost thou trust in him because great [is] his power? And dost thou leave unto him thy labour?
12 Dost thou trust in him That he doth bring back thy seed? And [to] thy threshing-floor doth gather [it]?
13 The wing of the rattling ones exulteth, Whether the pinion of the ostrich or hawk.
14 For she leaveth on the earth her eggs, And on the dust she doth warm them,
15 And she forgetteth that a foot may press it, And a beast of the field tread it down.
16 Her young ones it hath hardened without her, In vain [is] her labour without fear.
17 For God hath caused her to forget wisdom, And He hath not given a portion To her in understanding:
18 At the time on high she lifteth herself up, She laugheth at the horse and at his rider.
19 Dost thou give to the horse might? Dost thou clothe his neck [with] a mane?
20 Dost thou cause him to rush as a locust? The majesty of his snorting [is] terrible.
21 They dig in a valley, and he rejoiceth in power, He goeth forth to meet the armour.
22 He laugheth at fear, and is not affrighted, And he turneth not back from the face of the sword.
23 Against him rattle doth quiver, The flame of a spear, and a halbert.
24 With trembling and rage he swalloweth the ground, And remaineth not stedfast Because of the sound of a trumpet.
25 Among the trumpets he saith, Aha, And from afar he doth smell battle, Roaring of princes and shouting.
26 By thine understanding flieth a hawk? Spreadeth he his wings to the south?
27 At thy command goeth an eagle up high? Or lifteth he up his nest?
28 A rock he doth inhabit, Yea, he lodgeth on the tooth of a rock, and fortress.
29 From thence he hath sought food, To a far off place his eyes look attentively,
30 And his brood gulph up blood, And where the pierced [are] -- there [is] he!
Job 39
Revised Standard Version
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats bring forth?
Do you observe the calving of the hinds?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfil,
and do you know the time when they bring forth,
3 when they 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 forth, and do not return to them.
5 “Who has let the wild ass go free?
Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass,
6 to whom I have given the steppe for his home,
and 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 the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will he spend the night at your crib?
10 Can you bind 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,
and bring your grain to your threshing floor?[a]
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly;
but are they the pinions and plumage of love?[b]
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 deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear;
17 because God has made her forget wisdom,
and given her no share in understanding.
18 When she rouses herself to flee,[c]
she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with strength?[d]
20 Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic snorting is terrible.
21 He paws[e] in the valley, and exults in his strength;
he 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 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 wisdom 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 nest on high?
28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home
in the fastness of the rocky crag.
29 Thence he spies out the prey;
his eyes behold it afar off.
30 His young ones suck up blood;
and where the slain are, there is he.”
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.