Job 38
New Catholic Bible
The Intervention of God[a]
The Lord’s First Speech
Chapter 38
Gird Up Your Loins.[b] 1 Then from the heart of the storm the Lord answered Job:
2 “Who is this who obscures my intentions
with words devoid of knowledge?
3 Gird up your loins now like a man.
I will ask you questions,
and you will give me the answers.
A1: The Mysteries of the Cosmos
Where Were You When I Laid the Earth’s Foundations?
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements? Do you know?
Who stretched out the measuring line over it?
6 What supports the pillars at its bases?
Who laid its cornerstone
7 while the morning stars sang in unison
and the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I established bounds for it
and set its barred doors in place,
11 when I said, ‘This far may you come, but no farther;
here is where your proud waves must halt’?
Have You Ever Commanded the Morning?[c]
12 “During your entire life have you ever commanded the morning to appear
or caused the dawn to rise in the east
13 so that it might grasp the ends of the earth
and shake the wicked from its surface?
14 She turns it like clay under a seal
and dyes it as though it were a garment.
15 But light[d] is withheld from the wicked,
and their raised arm is broken.
Have You Ever Walked at the Bottom of the Abyss?
16 “Have you ever descended to the depths of the sea
and walked at the bottom of the abyss?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you
or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanse of the earth?
Tell me if you know all this.
19 “Can you point out the way to the dwelling of light
and show the abode of darkness,
20 so that you may assign each to its designated boundary
and escort them on their homeward paths?
21 Surely you must know this,
for you had already been born
and the years of your life are beyond numbering!
Have You Entered the Place Where the Snow Is Stored?[e]
22 [f]“Have you entered the place where the snow is stored,
or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I have reserved for times of distress,
for the times of war and battle?
24 Can you show me the place where lightning is dispersed
or where the east wind is scattered over the earth?
25 “Who has cut a channel for the downpour of rain
and cleared a path for the thunderstorm
26 so that rain may fall on uninhabited lands,
on the wilderness devoid of human life,
27 and thus reinvigorate the wastes and the desolate land,
enabling grass to sprout on the thirsty ground?
28 “Does the rain have a father?
Who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 Whose womb brings forth the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost of heaven,
30 causing a layer of stone to cover the waters
and the surface of the earth to congeal?
Do You Know the Ordinances of the Heavens?
31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
or loosen the bonds of Orion?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their season
or indicate which way to go to the Bear[g] and its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you put into effect their rule on the earth?
34 “Can you raise up your voice to command the clouds
to envelop you in a deluge of rain?
35 Will flashes of lightning come forth at your command
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has endowed the heart with wisdom
and given understanding to the mind?
37 Who can number all the rain clouds
and empty the cisterns of the heavens
38 so that the dust solidifies into a thick mass
and the clods of earth cling together?
A2: The Astonishing World of the Animals[h]
The Lion and the Raven
39 “Can you hunt prey for the lioness
or satisfy the hunger of young lions
40 while they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in the bushes?
41 Who provides the raven with prey
when its little ones cry out to God
in their need for sustenance?
Footnotes
- Job 38:1 The Almighty comes in the storm. He is the Lord (Yahweh), the fearsome God of Sinai (Ex 19:16). The meeting both abashes and fascinates Job. God does not answer Job’s irksome questions; the roles are reversed. The Lord presses him hard with his own questions. God does not defend himself, nor does he debate: he calls for adoration and silence.
These chapters form part of the biblical songs of creation and are among the loftiest lyrical compositions of humankind. The wonders and secrets of the universe are evoked in splendid poetic images that are intended to give us a better insight into the inaccessibility of the mystery of God. And yet, Job has seen God. This man who has encountered God remains abashed. All his arguments have been immediately transcended; the only thing left is to make an act of unconditional faith. - Job 38:1 Gird up your loins: it is God who calls Job to account for his pretensions. In the East, people tightened their belts and tucked up their garments in preparation for a struggle or for work (see Jer 1:17; Lk 12:35-37).
- Job 38:12 Each day the dawn comes to shake the earth, ridding it of the wicked as one shakes dust from a rug. The human race cannot help but stand in admiration.
- Job 38:15 Light: the uncertain light of night that favors evildoers (see Job 24:13; Isa 5:20).
- Job 38:22 Human beings cannot foresee or comprehend this play of natural forces; for the ancients, God seems to make sport of them and utilize them at his whim (Ex 9:18-26; Jos 10:11). As for us, we are better acquainted with the laws of nature, but the spectacle of the universe remains always a symbol of God’s great freedom.
- Job 38:22 For hail as a divine weapon, see Gen 10:11; Ex 9:18-19; Isa 28:17; 30:30.
- Job 38:32 Pleiades . . . Orion . . . Bear: see note on Job 9:9.
- Job 38:39 The animal world, too, is a bewildering world for human beings. God brings them before Job as he once did before Adam (Gen 2:19-20); however, his purpose now is to show not the power, but the weakness and ignorance of human beings: the life of the animals has secrets that elude the human grasp and depend on a higher wisdom.
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
Job 38
La Biblia de las Américas
Dios convence a Job de su ignorancia
38 Entonces el Señor respondió a Job desde el torbellino y dijo(A):
2 ¿Quién es este que oscurece el consejo
con palabras sin conocimiento(B)?
3 Ciñe ahora tus lomos como un hombre(C),
y yo te preguntaré, y tú me instruirás(D).
4 ¿Dónde estabas tú cuando yo echaba los cimientos de la tierra(E)?
Dímelo, si tienes[a] inteligencia.
5 ¿Quién puso sus medidas(F)?, ya que sabes,
¿o quién extendió sobre ella cordel?
6 ¿Sobre qué se asientan sus basas(G),
o quién puso su piedra angular
7 cuando cantaban juntas las estrellas del alba,
y todos los hijos de Dios(H) gritaban de gozo?
8 ¿O quién encerró con puertas el mar(I),
cuando, irrumpiendo, se salió de su seno;
9 cuando hice de una nube su vestidura,
y de espesa oscuridad sus pañales;
10 cuando sobre él establecí límites[b],
puse puertas(J) y cerrojos,
11 y dije: «Hasta aquí llegarás, pero no más allá;
aquí se detendrá el orgullo de tus olas»?
12 ¿Alguna vez en tu vida[c] has mandado a la mañana,
y hecho conocer al alba su lugar,
13 para que ella eche mano a los confines de la tierra(K),
y de ella sean sacudidos los impíos(L)?
14 Ella cambia como barro bajo el sello;
y como con vestidura se presenta[d].
15 Mas se quita la luz a los impíos(M),
y se quiebra el brazo levantado(N).
16 ¿Has entrado hasta las fuentes del mar,
o andado en las profundidades[e] del abismo(O)?
17 ¿Te han sido reveladas las puertas de la muerte,
o has visto las puertas de la densa oscuridad(P)?
18 ¿Has comprendido la extensión[f] de la tierra(Q)?
Dímelo, si tú sabes todo esto.
19 ¿Dónde está el camino a la morada de la luz?
Y la oscuridad, ¿dónde está su lugar,
20 para que la lleves a su territorio(R),
y para que disciernas los senderos de su casa?
21 ¡Tú lo sabes, porque entonces ya habías nacido(S),
y grande es el número de tus días!
22 ¿Has entrado en los depósitos de la nieve(T),
o has visto los depósitos del granizo(U),
23 que he reservado para el tiempo de angustia,
para el día de guerra y de batalla?
24 ¿Dónde está el camino en que se divide la luz(V),
o el viento solano esparcido sobre la tierra?
25 ¿Quién ha abierto un canal para el turbión,
o un camino para el rayo,
26 para traer lluvia(W) sobre tierra despoblada[g],
sobre un desierto sin hombre alguno,
27 para saciar la tierra desierta y desolada,
y hacer brotar las semillas[h](X) de la hierba?
28 ¿Tiene padre la lluvia(Y)?
¿Quién ha engendrado las gotas de rocío?
29 ¿Del vientre de quién ha salido el hielo(Z)?
Y la escarcha del cielo, ¿quién la ha dado a luz?
30 El agua se endurece[i] como la piedra,
y aprisionada está la superficie del abismo.
31 ¿Puedes tú atar las cadenas de las Pléyades,
o desatar las cuerdas de Orión(AA)?
32 ¿Haces aparecer una constelación[j] a su tiempo,
y conduces la Osa con sus hijos?
33 ¿Conoces tú las ordenanzas de los cielos,
o fijas su dominio en la tierra(AB)?
34 ¿Puedes levantar tu voz a las nubes,
para que abundancia de agua te cubra(AC)?
35 ¿Envías los relámpagos para que vayan
y te digan: «Aquí estamos(AD)»?
36 ¿Quién ha puesto sabiduría en lo más íntimo del ser(AE),
o ha dado a la mente[k] inteligencia(AF)?
37 ¿Quién puede contar las nubes con sabiduría,
o inclinar los odres de los cielos(AG),
38 cuando el polvo en masa se endurece,
y los terrones se pegan entre sí?
39 ¿Puedes cazar la presa para la leona,
o saciar el apetito de los leoncillos(AH),
40 cuando se agachan en sus madrigueras,
o están al acecho en sus guaridas(AI)?
41 ¿Quién prepara para el cuervo su alimento,
cuando sus crías claman a Dios,
y vagan sin comida(AJ)?
Footnotes
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
