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Job 38
New King James Version
Job 38
New King James Version
The Lord Reveals His Omnipotence to Job(A)
38 Then the Lord answered Job (B)out of the whirlwind, and said:
2 “Who(C) is this who darkens counsel
By (D)words without knowledge?
3 (E)Now [a]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
4 “Where(F) were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the [b]line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all (G)the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or(H) who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When (I)I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
11 When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves (J)must stop!’
12 “Have you (K)commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And (L)the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their (M)light is withheld,
And (N)the [c]upraised arm is broken.
16 “Have you (O)entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17 Have (P)the gates of death been [d]revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of 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 may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
21 Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
22 “Have you entered (Q)the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
23 (R)Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is light [e]diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25 “Who (S)has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
27 (T)To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
28 (U)Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
And the (V)frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is (W)frozen.[f]
31 “Can you bind the cluster of the (X)Pleiades,[g]
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out [h]Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide [i]the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know (Y)the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
36 (Z)Who has put wisdom in [j]the mind?
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?
Job 38
Expanded Bible
Job 38
Expanded Bible
The Lord Questions Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the ·storm [whirlwind; 9:17]. He said:
2 “Who is this that makes my ·purpose [L counsel; advice] ·unclear [L dark]
·by saying things that are not true [L with ignorant words]?
3 ·Be strong [Brace yourself; L Gird your loins] like a man!
I will ask you questions,
and you must ·answer [inform] me.
4 Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off ·how big it should be [L its measurements]? Surely you know!
Who stretched a ·ruler [line; C surveyor’s instrument] across it?
6 What were the earth’s foundations ·set on [L sunk in],
or who put its cornerstone in place
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the ·angels [L sons of god] shouted with joy?
8 “Who shut the doors to keep the sea in
when it broke through ·and was born [L coming out of the womb],
9 when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea
and ·wrapped [swaddled] it in dark clouds,
10 when I ·put [prescribed] ·limits [boundaries] on the sea
and put its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said to the sea, ‘You may come this far, but no farther;
this is where your proud waves must stop’?
12 “Have you ever ordered the morning to begin,
or ·shown [informed] the dawn where its place was
13 in order to ·take hold of [grasp] the earth by its edges [C the horizon]
and shake evil people out of it [C the light exposes the wicked]?
14 At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal;
·the hills and valleys [L They] stand out like ·folds in a coat [L a garment].
15 Light is ·not given to [held back from] evil people;
their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken.
16 “Have you ever gone to ·where the sea begins [L the sources of the sea]
or walked in the ·valleys under the sea [L depths of the deep]?
17 Have the gates of death been ·opened [or revealed] to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deep darkness?
18 Do you understand how wide the earth is?
Tell me, if you know all these things.
19 “What is the path to light’s home,
and where does darkness live?
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the ·way [path] to their homes?
21 Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened!
Have you lived that many years?
22 “Have you ever gone into the storehouse of the snow
or seen the storehouses for hail,
23 which I save for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24 Where is the place from which light ·comes [L is distributed]?
Where is the place from which the east winds ·blow [scatter] over the earth?
25 Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains
and sets a path for the thunderstorm?
26 Who waters the land where no one lives,
the ·desert [wilderness] that has no one in it?
27 Who sends rain to satisfy the ·empty [L ruined and desolate] land
so the grass begins to grow?
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who ·is father [L has given birth] to the drops of dew?
29 ·Who is the mother of the ice [L From whose womb did the ice come out]?
Who gives birth to the frost from the ·sky [heavens]
30 when the water becomes hard as stone,
and even the surface of the ·ocean [deep] is frozen?
31 “Can you tie up the ·stars [L chains] of the Pleiades
or ·loosen [open] the ·ropes of the stars in [L fetters of] Orion?
32 Can you bring out ·the stars [L Mazzeroth; C probably the name of a specific constellation] on time
or lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the ·sky [heavens]
and ·understand [or set] their rule over the earth?
34 “Can you ·shout an order [L raise your voice] to the clouds
·and [or so that you] cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Can you send lightning bolts on their way?
Do they come to you and say, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who put wisdom ·inside the mind [or in the ibis; C an animal associated with wisdom and representing Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom]
or understanding ·in the heart [or to the rooster]?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can ·pour water from the jars [L tilt the wineskins] of the ·sky [heavens]
38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clumps of dirt stick together?
39 “Do you hunt food for the lioness
to satisfy the hunger of the young lions
40 while they ·lie [crouch] in their dens
or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?
41 Who gives food to the ·birds [L raven]
when their young cry out to God
and wander about without food?
约伯记 38
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
约伯记 38
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
神發言，回答約伯
38 那時，耶和華在旋風中回答約伯，說：
2 “這以無知無識的言語，
使我的旨意暗晦不明的是誰呢？
3 現在你要如勇士束腰，
我要問你，你要告訴我。
以創造的奇妙質問約伯
4 我奠定大地根基的時候，你在哪裡呢？
你若有聰明，就只管說吧。
5 你一定曉得是誰定大地的尺度，
是誰把準繩拉在大地之上？
6 地的基礎奠在哪裡，
地的角石是誰安放的？
7 那時晨星一起歌唱，
神的眾子也都歡呼。
8 海水沖出如嬰孩出母胎，
那時誰用門把海水關閉呢？
9 是我以雲彩當作海的衣服，
以幽暗當作包裹海的布；
10 我為海定界限，
又安置門閂和門戶，
11 說：‘你只可到這裡，不可越過，
你狂傲的波浪要在這裡止住。’
12 自你有生以來，你何曾吩咐過晨光照耀，
使黎明的曙光知道自己的本位，
13 叫這光照遍大地的四極，
把惡人從那裡抖掉呢？
14 因著這光，地面改變如在泥上蓋上印，
萬象顯出如衣服一樣。
15 惡人必得不到亮光，
高舉的膀臂必被折斷。
16 你曾到過海的泉源，
在深淵的底處行走過嗎？
17 死亡的門曾向你顯露嗎？
死蔭的門你曾見過嗎？
18 地的廣闊，你明白嗎？
你若完全知道，就只管說吧。
19 哪條是到光明居所的道路？
黑暗的本位在哪裡？
20 你能把光與暗帶到它們的境地嗎？
你曉得通到它們居所的路嗎？
21 你是知道的，因為那時你已經出生了，
你一生的日數也很多。
22 你曾入過雪庫，
或見過雹倉嗎？
23 這些雪雹是我為降患難的時候，
為打仗和爭戰的日子所存留的。
24 光從哪條路散開，
東風從哪裡分散在地上？
25 誰為大雨分水道，
誰為雷電定道路？
26 使雨降在無人之地，
落在無人居住的曠野，
27 使荒廢之地得著滋潤，
使青草在乾旱之地得以長起來呢？
28 雨有父親嗎？
露珠是誰生的呢？
29 冰出自誰的胎？
天上的霜是誰所生的呢？
30 眾水堅硬如石頭，
深淵的表面凍結成冰。
31 你能繫住昴星的結嗎？
你能解開參星的帶嗎？
32 你能按時領出瑪查魯夫星系嗎？
你能引導北斗和隨從它的眾星嗎？
33 你曉得天的定例嗎？
你能在地上建立天的權威嗎？
34 你能向密雲揚聲嗎？
你能使洪水淹沒你嗎？
35 你能差派閃電，閃電就發出，
並且對你說：‘我們在這裡’嗎？
36 誰把智慧放在懷裡，
或把聰明賜於人的心中？
37 塵土融合成團，
土塊黏結在一起的時候，
38 誰能憑智慧數算雲天呢？
誰能把天上的水袋傾倒呢？
39 獅子在洞中蹲伏，
在藏身之處躺臥埋伏的時候，
40 你能為母獅獵取食物嗎？
你能使食慾飽足嗎？
41 烏鴉雛鳥因缺乏食物飛來飛去，
向 神哀求的時候，
誰為烏鴉預備食物呢？”
Job 38
New International Version
Job 38
New International Version
The Lord Speaks
38 Then the Lord spoke to Job(A) out of the storm.(B) He said:
2 “Who is this that obscures my plans(C)
with words without knowledge?(D)
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(E)
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?(F)
Tell me, if you understand.(G)
5 Who marked off its dimensions?(H) Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line(I) across it?
6 On what were its footings set,(J)
or who laid its cornerstone(K)—
7 while the morning stars(L) sang together(M)
and all the angels[a](N) shouted for joy?(O)
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors(P)
when it burst forth from the womb,(Q)
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,(R)
10 when I fixed limits for it(S)
and set its doors and bars in place,(T)
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;(U)
here is where your proud waves halt’?(V)
12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,(W)
or shown the dawn its place,(X)
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked(Y) out of it?(Z)
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;(AA)
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,(AB)
and their upraised arm is broken.(AC)
16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?(AD)
17 Have the gates of death(AE) been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?(AF)
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?(AG)
Tell me, if you know all this.(AH)
19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?(AI)
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths(AJ) to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!(AK)
You have lived so many years!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow(AL)
or seen the storehouses(AM) of the hail,(AN)
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,(AO)
for days of war and battle?(AP)
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,(AQ)
or the place where the east winds(AR) are scattered over the earth?(AS)
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,(AT)
26 to water(AU) a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,(AV)
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?(AW)
28 Does the rain have a father?(AX)
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens(AY)
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?(AZ)
31 “Can you bind the chains[b] of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?(BA)
32 Can you bring forth the constellations(BB) in their seasons[c]
or lead out the Bear[d] with its cubs?(BC)
33 Do you know the laws(BD) of the heavens?(BE)
Can you set up God’s[e] dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?(BF)
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?(BG)
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[f](BH)
or gives the rooster understanding?[g](BI)
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars(BJ) of the heavens(BK)
38 when the dust becomes hard(BL)
and the clods of earth stick together?(BM)
Footnotes
- Job 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God
- Job 38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty
- Job 38:32 Or the morning star in its season
- Job 38:32 Or out Leo
- Job 38:33 Or their
- Job 38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
- Job 38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Chinese New Version (Traditional) (CNVT) 
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
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.