⁵ “Who sent out the ^(C)wild donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
⁶ To whom I gave ^(D)the wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?
⁷ “He scorns the tumult of the city,
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
⁸ “He explores the mountains for his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
⁹ “Will the ^(E)wild ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?
¹⁰ “Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ^[b]ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?
¹¹ “Will you trust him because his strength is great
And leave your labor to him?
¹² “Will you have faith in him that he will return your ^[c]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

¹³ “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously
With the pinion and plumage of ^[d]love,
¹⁴ For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
¹⁵ And she forgets that a foot may crush ^[e]them,
Or that a wild beast may trample ^[f]them.
¹⁶ “She treats her young ^(F)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be in vain, she is ^[g]unconcerned;
¹⁷ Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
¹⁸ “When she lifts herself ^[h]on high,
She laughs at the horse and his rider.

¹⁹ “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
²⁰ “Do you make him ^(G)leap like the locust?
His majestic ^(H)snorting is terrible.
²¹ “^[i]He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He ^(I)goes out to meet the weapons.
²² “He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
²³ “The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
²⁴ “With shaking and rage he ^[j]races over the ground,
And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.
²⁵ “As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

²⁶ “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
²⁷ “Is it at your ^[k]command that the eagle mounts up
And makes ^(J)his nest on high?
²⁸ “On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.
²⁹ “From there he ^(K)spies out food;
His eyes see it from afar.
³⁰ “His young ones also suck up blood;
And ^(L)where the slain are, there is he.”

^7 (A)Now then, my sons, listen to me
And ^(B)do not depart from the words of my mouth.
^8 (C)Keep your way far from her
And do not go near the ^(D)door of her house,
⁹ Or you will give your vigor to others
And your years to the cruel one;
¹⁰ And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;
¹¹ And you groan at your ^[a]final end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
¹² And you say, “How I have ^(E)hated instruction!
And my heart ^(F)spurned reproof!
¹³ “I have not listened to the voice of my ^(G)teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!
¹⁴ “I was almost in utter ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”