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13 “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously
But are they the pinion and plumage of a [a]stork?
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush [b]them,
Or that a beast of the field may trample [c]them.
16 She treats her children (A)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be empty, she is without dread,
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 When she raises herself up 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 (B)leap like the locust?
His splendid (C)snorting is terrible.
21 [d]He paws in the valley and rejoices in his power;
He (D)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at dread 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 [e]races over the ground,
And he does not [f]stand still at the sound 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 commanders and the shout of war.

26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your [g]command that the eagle goes on high
And raises (E)his nest high?
28 On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, a fortress.
29 From there he [h](F)spies out food;
His eyes see it from afar.
30 His young ones also suck up blood;
And (G)where the slain are, there is he.”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 39:13 Or love
  2. Job 39:15 Lit it
  3. Job 39:15 Lit it
  4. Job 39:21 Lit They paw
  5. Job 39:24 Or swallows up
  6. Job 39:24 Lit believe
  7. Job 39:27 Lit mouth
  8. Job 39:29 Or paws, cf. Job 39:21; lit digs

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)

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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!”