13 The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
but are her feathers and plumage like the stork’s?[a](A)
14 She abandons her eggs on the ground
and lets them be warmed in the sand.
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them
or that some wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not her own,
with no fear that her labor may have been in vain.
17 For God has deprived her of wisdom;
he has not endowed her with understanding.(B)
18 When she proudly[b] spreads her wings,
she laughs at the horse and its rider.

19 Do you give strength to the horse?
Do you adorn his neck with a mane?[c]
20 Do you make him leap like a locust?
His proud snorting fills one with terror.
21 He paws[d] in the valley and rejoices in his strength;
he charges into battle.[e]
22 He laughs at fear, since he is afraid of nothing;
he does not run from the sword.
23 A quiver rattles at his side,
along with a flashing spear and a javelin.
24 He charges ahead[f] with trembling rage;
he cannot stand still at the sound of the ram’s horn.
25 When the ram’s horn blasts, he snorts defiantly.[g]
He smells the battle from a distance;
he hears the officers’ shouts and the battle cry.

26 Does the hawk take flight by your understanding
and spread its wings to the south?
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and make its nest(C) on high?
28 It lives on a cliff where it spends the night;
its stronghold is on a rocky crag.
29 From there it searches for prey;(D)
its eyes penetrate the distance.
30 Its brood gulps down blood,
and where the slain are, it is there.(E)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 39:13 Hb obscure
  2. 39:18 Hb obscure
  3. 39:19 Hb obscure
  4. 39:21 LXX, Syr; MT reads They dig
  5. 39:21 Lit he goes out to meet the weaponry
  6. 39:24 Lit He swallows the ground
  7. 39:25 Lit he says, “Aha!”

On the Ostrich

13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyously,
    but aren’t its pinions and feathers like the stork?
14 She abandons her eggs on the ground
    and lets them be warmed in the sand,
15 but she forgets that a foot might crush them
    or any wild animal might trample them.
16 She mistreats her young as though they’re not hers,
    and she has no fear that her labor may be in vain,
17 because God didn’t grant her wisdom
    and never gave her understanding.
18 And yet when she gets ready to run,
    she laughs at the horse and its rider.”

On the Horse

19 Do you instill the horse with strength?
    Do you clothe its neck with a mane?
20 Can you make him leap like the locust,
    and make the splendor of his snorting terrifying?
21 He paws the ground[a] in the valley
    and rejoices in his strength;
        he goes out to face weapons.
22 He scoffs at fear
    and is never scared;
        he never retreats from a sword.
23 A quiver of arrows rattles against his side,
    along with a flashing spear and a lance.
24 Leaping in his excitement, he takes in[b] the ground;
    he cannot stand still when the trumpets sound!
25 When the trumpet blasts he’ll neigh, ‘Aha! Aha!’
    From a distance he can sense war,
        the war cry of generals,[c] and their shouting.”

On Raptors

26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk flies,
    spreading its wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle soar high at your command[d]
    and build its nest on the highest crags?
28 He dwells on the crags where he makes his home,
    there on the rocky crag is his stronghold.
29 From there he searches for prey,
    and his eyes recognize it from a distance.
30 His young ones feast[e] on blood;
    he’ll be found wherever there’s a carcass.”[f]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Job 39:21 The Heb. lacks the ground
  2. Job 39:24 Lit. swallows
  3. Job 39:25 Or officers
  4. Job 39:27 Lit. mouth
  5. Job 39:30 Lit. suck up
  6. Job 39:30 Or slain