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“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.(A)
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone(B)
when the morning stars sang together
    and all the heavenly beings[a] shouted for joy?(C)

“Or who shut in the sea with doors
    when it burst out from the womb,(D)
when I made the clouds its garment
    and thick darkness its swaddling band,(E)
10 and prescribed bounds for it,
    and set bars and doors,(F)
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come and no farther,
    and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?(G)

12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began
    and caused the dawn to know its place,(H)
13 so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
    and the wicked be shaken out of it?(I)
14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
    and it is dyed[b] like a garment.
15 Light is withheld from the wicked,
    and their uplifted arm is broken.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. 38.7 Heb sons of God
  2. 38.14 Cn: Heb and they stand forth

Yahweh Interrogates Job

“Where were you at my laying the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you possess understanding.
Who determined its measurement? Yes, you do know.
Or who stretched the measuring line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
when the morning stars were singing together
and all the sons of God[a] shouted for joy?
“Or who shut the sea in with doors
at its bursting, when it went out of the womb,
at my making the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and I prescribed my rule for it,
and I set bars and doors,
11 and I said, ‘You shall come up to here, but[b] you shall not go further,
and here it will set a boundary for your proud surging waves’?[c]
12 “Have you ever in your life[d] commanded the morning?
Have you made the dawn know its place,
13 to take hold of the earth’s skirts
so that[e] the wicked might be shaken off from it?
14 It is changed like clay under a seal,
and they appear like a garment.
15 And their light is withheld from the wicked,
and their uplifted arm is broken.

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Footnotes

  1. Job 38:7 Or “heavenly beings”
  2. Job 38:11 Hebrew “and”
  3. Job 38:11 Literally “for the pride of your surging waves”
  4. Job 38:12 Literally “from your days”
  5. Job 38:13 Hebrew “and”