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Job 38
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
Job 38
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
38 Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said:
2 Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful words?
3 Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and answer thou me.
4 Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Upon what are its bases grounded? or who laid the corner stone thereof,
7 When the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful melody?
8 Who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth as issuing out of the womb:
9 When I made a cloud the garment thereof, and wrapped it in a mist as in swaddling bands?
10 I set my bounds around it, and made it bars and doors:
11 And I said: Hitherto thou shalt come, and shalt go no further, and here thou shalt break thy swelling waves.
12 Didst thou since thy birth command the morning, and shew the dawning of the day its place?
13 And didst thou hold the extremities of the earth shaking them, and hast thou shaken the ungodly out of it?
14 The seal shall be restored as clay, and shall stand as a garment:
15 From the wicked their light shall be taken away, and the high arm shall be broken.
16 Hast thou entered into the depths of the sea, and walked in the lowest parts of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been opened to thee, and hast thou seen the darksome doors?
18 Hast thou considered the breadth of the earth? tell me, if thou knowest all things?
19 Where is the way where light dwelleth, and where is the place of darkness:
20 That thou mayst bring every thing to its own bounds, and understand the paths of the house thereof.
21 Didst thou know then that thou shouldst be born? and didst thou know the number of thy days?
22 Hast thou entered into the storehouses of the snow, or has thou beheld the treasures of the hail:
23 Which I have prepared for the time of the enemy, against the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is the light spread, and heat divided upon the earth?
25 Who gave a course to violent showers, or a way for noisy thunder:
26 That it should rain on the earth without man in the wilderness, where no mortal dwelleth:
27 That it should fill the desert and desolate land, and should bring forth green grass?
28 Who is the father of rain? or who begot the drops of dew?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice; and the frost from heaven who hath gendered it?
30 The waters are hardened like a stone, and the surface of the deep is congealed.
31 Shalt thou be able to join together the shining stars the Pleiades, or canst thou stop the turning about of Arcturus?
32 Canst thou bring forth the day star in its time, and make the evening star to rise upon the children of the earth?
33 Dost thou know the order of heaven, and canst thou set down the reason thereof on the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that an abundance of waters may cover thee?
35 Canst thou send lightnings, and will they go, and will they return and say to thee: Here we are?
36 Who hath put wisdom in the heart of man? or who gave the cock understanding?
37 Who can declare the order of the heavens, or who can make the harmony of heaven to sleep?
38 When was the dust poured on the earth, and the clods fastened together?
39 Wilt thou take the prey for the lioness, and satisfy the appetite of her whelps,
40 When they couch in the dens and lie in wait in holes?
41 Who provideth food for the raven, when her young ones cry to God, wandering about, because they have no meat?
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.
Job 38
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Job 38
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Lord Speaks
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind.(A) He said:
2 Who is this who obscures My counsel
with ignorant words?(B)
3 Get ready to answer Me like a man;
when I question(C) you, you will inform Me.
4 Where were you when I established(D) the earth?
Tell Me, if you have[a] understanding.
5 Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 What supports its foundations?
Or who laid its cornerstone
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God(E) shouted for joy?
8 Who enclosed the sea behind doors
when it burst from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its blanket,[b](F)
10 when I determined its boundaries[c]
and put its bars and doors in place,
11 when I declared: “You may come this far, but no farther;
your proud waves stop here”?
12 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning
or assigned the dawn its place,
13 so it may seize the edges of the earth
and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth is changed as clay is by a seal;
its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.
15 Light[d] is withheld from the wicked,
and the arm raised in violence is broken.
16 Have you traveled to the sources of the sea
or walked in the depths of the oceans?
17 Have the gates(G) of death been revealed to you?
Have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the extent of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 Where is the road to the home of light?
Do you know where darkness lives,
20 so you can lead it back to its border?
Are you familiar with the paths to its home?
21 Don’t you know? You were already born;(H)
you have lived so long![e]
22 Have you entered the place where the snow is stored?
Or have you seen the storehouses of hail,(I)
23 which I hold in reserve for times of trouble,
for the day of warfare and battle?(J)
24 What road leads to the place where light is dispersed?[f]
Where is the source of the east wind that spreads across the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the flooding rain
or clears the way for lightning,
26 to bring rain on an uninhabited land,
on a desert with no human life,[g]
27 to satisfy the parched wasteland
and cause the grass to sprout?(K)
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who fathered the drops of dew?(L)
29 Whose womb did the ice come from?
Who gave birth to the frost of heaven
30 when water becomes as hard as stone,[h]
and the surface of the watery depths is frozen?(M)
31 Can you fasten the chains of the Pleiades
or loosen the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out the constellations[i] in their season
and lead the Bear[j] and her cubs?(N)
33 Do you know the laws(O) of heaven?
Can you impose its[k] authority on earth?
34 Can you command[l] the clouds
so that a flood of water covers you?(P)
35 Can you send out lightning(Q) bolts, and they go?
Do they report to you: “Here we are”?
36 Who put wisdom(R) in the heart[m]
or gave the mind understanding?
37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven
38 when the dust hardens like cast metal
and the clods of dirt stick together?
39 Can you hunt prey for a lioness
or satisfy the appetite of young lions(S)
40 when they crouch in their dens
and lie in wait within their lairs?
41 Who provides the raven’s food(T)
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?
Footnotes
- Job 38:4 Lit know
- Job 38:9 Lit swaddling clothes
- Job 38:10 Lit I broke My statute on it
- Job 38:15 Lit Their light
- Job 38:21 Lit born; the number of your days is great
- Job 38:24 Or where lightning is distributed
- Job 38:26 Lit life in it
- Job 38:30 Lit water hides itself as the stone
- Job 38:32 Or Mazzaroth; Hb obscure
- Job 38:32 Or lead Aldebaran
- Job 38:33 Or God’s
- Job 38:34 Lit lift up your voice to
- Job 38:36 Or the inner self; Ps 51:6
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)
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.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.