Job 37
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
37 “At this also my heart trembles,
and leaps out of its place.
2 Hearken to the thunder of his voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go,
and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
4 After it his voice roars;
he thunders with his majestic voice
and he does not restrain the lightnings[a] when his voice is heard.
5 God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things which we cannot comprehend.
6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth’;
and to the shower and the rain,[b] ‘Be strong.’
7 He seals up the hand of every man,
that all men may know his work.[c]
8 Then the beasts go into their lairs,
and remain in their dens.
9 From its chamber comes the whirlwind,
and cold from the scattering winds.
10 By the breath of God ice is given,
and the broad waters are frozen fast.
11 He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
the clouds scatter his lightning.
12 They turn round and round by his guidance,
to accomplish all that he commands them
on the face of the habitable world.
13 Whether for correction, or for his land,
or for love, he causes it to happen.
14 “Hear this, O Job;
stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
15 Do you know how God lays his command upon them,
and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,
17 you whose garments are hot
when the earth is still because of the south wind?
18 Can you, like him, spread out the skies,
hard as a molten mirror?
19 Teach us what we shall say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.
20 Shall it be told him that I would speak?
Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?
21 “And now men cannot look on the light
when it is bright in the skies,
when the wind has passed and cleared them.
22 Out of the north comes golden splendor;
God is clothed with terrible majesty.
23 The Almighty—we cannot find him;
he is great in power and justice,
and abundant righteousness he will not violate.
24 Therefore men fear him;
he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”
Job 37
1599 Geneva Bible
37 1 Elihu proveth that the unsearchable wisdom of God is manifest by his works. 4 As by the thunders. 6 The snow. 9 The whirlwind. 11 And the rain.
1 At this also mine heart is [a]astonied, and is moved out of his place.
2 Hear the [b]sound of his voice, and the noise that goeth out of his mouth.
3 He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his light unto the ends of the world.
4 After it a noise soundeth: he thundereth with the voice of his majesty, and he will not stay [c]them when his voice is heard.
5 God thundereth marvelously with his voice: he worketh great things, which we know not.
6 For he saith to the snow, Be thou upon the earth [d]likewise to the small rain and to the great rain of his power.
7 With the force thereof he [e]shutteth up every man, that all men may know his work.
8 Then the beasts go into the den, and remain in their places.
9 The whirlwind cometh out of the South, and the cold from the [f]North wind.
10 At the breath of God the frost is given, and the breadth of the waters [g]is made narrow.
11 He maketh also the clouds to [h]labor, to water the earth, and scattereth the cloud of [i]his light.
12 And it is turned about by his government, that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the whole world:
13 Whether it be for [j]punishment, or for his land, or of mercy, he causeth it to come.
14 Hearken unto this, O Job: stand and consider the wondrous works of God.
15 Didst thou know when God disposed them? and caused the [k]light of his cloud to shine?
16 Hast thou known the [l]variety of the cloud, and the wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge?
17 Or how thy clothes are [m]warm, when he maketh the earth quiet through the South wind?
18 Hast thou stretched out the heavens, which are strong, and as a molten [n]glass?
19 Tell us what we shall say unto him: for we cannot dispose our matter because of [o]darkness.
20 Shall it be [p]told him when I speak? or shall man speak when he shall be [q]destroyed?
21 And now men see not the light, [r]which shineth in the clouds, but the wind passeth and cleanseth them.
22 The [s]brightness cometh out of the North: the praise thereof is to God, which is terrible.
23 It is the Almighty: we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power and judgment, and abundant in justice: he [t]afflicteth not.
24 Let men therefore fear him: for he will not regard any that are wise in their own conceit.
Footnotes
- Job 37:1 At the marvelling of the thunder and lightnings: whereby he declareth that the faithful are lively touched with the majesty of God, when they behold his works.
- Job 37:2 That is, the thunder, whereby he speaketh to men to waken their dullness, and to bring them to the consideration of his works.
- Job 37:4 Meaning, the rains and thunders.
- Job 37:6 So that neither small rain, nor great, snow nor anything else cometh without God’s appointment.
- Job 37:7 By rains and thunders God causeth men to keep themselves within their houses.
- Job 37:9 In Hebrew it is called the scattering wind, because it driveth away the clouds and purgeth the air.
- Job 37:10 That is, is frozen up and dried.
- Job 37:11 Gather the vapors and move to and fro to water the earth.
- Job 37:11 That is, the cloud that hath lightning in it.
- Job 37:13 Rain, cold, heat, tempests and such like are sent of God, either to punish man, or to profit the earth, or to declare his favor toward man, as Job 36:31.
- Job 37:15 That is, the lightning to break forth in the clouds?
- Job 37:16 Which is sometimes changed into rain, or snow, hail, or such like.
- Job 37:17 Why thy clothes should keep thee warm when the South wind bloweth, rather than when any other wind bloweth?
- Job 37:18 For their clearness.
- Job 37:19 That is, our ignorance: signifying that Job was so presumptuous, that he would control the works of God.
- Job 37:20 Hath God need that any should tell him when man murmureth against him?
- Job 37:20 If God would destroy a man, should he repine?
- Job 37:21 The cloud stoppeth the shining of the sun, that man cannot see it till the wind have chased away the cloud: and if man be not able to attain to the knowledge of these things, how much less of God’s judgments?
- Job 37:22 In Hebrew, gold, meaning, fair weather and clear as gold.
- Job 37:23 Meaning, without cause.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 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.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
