13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
    though they cannot compare
    with the wings and feathers of the stork.(A)
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
    and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
    that some wild animal may trample them.(B)
16 She treats her young harshly,(C) as if they were not hers;
    she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
    or give her a share of good sense.(D)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
    she laughs(E) at horse and rider.

19 “Do you give the horse its strength(F)
    or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(G)
    striking terror(H) with its proud snorting?(I)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(J)
    and charges into the fray.(K)
22 It laughs(L) at fear, afraid of nothing;
    it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(M) rattles against its side,
    along with the flashing spear(N) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
    it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(O)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(P) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
    It catches the scent of battle from afar,
    the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(Q)

26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
    and spread its wings toward the south?(R)
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
    and build its nest on high?(S)
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
    a rocky crag(T) is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;(U)
    its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
    and where the slain are, there it is.”(V)

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13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
    but are they the pinions and plumage of love?[a]
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
    and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
    and that the wild beast may trample them.
16 She (A)deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
    though her (B)labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
17 because God has made her forget wisdom
    and (C)given her no share in understanding.
18 When she rouses herself to flee,[b]
    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 leap like the locust?
    His majestic (D)snorting is terrifying.
21 He paws[c] in the valley and exults in his strength;
    he (E)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
    he does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon him rattle the quiver,
    the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;
    he cannot stand still at (F)the sound of the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’
    He smells the battle from afar,
    the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
    and spreads his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
    and makes his (G)nest on high?
28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
    on (H)the rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there he spies out the prey;
    his eyes behold it from far away.
30 His young ones suck up blood,
    and (I)where the slain are, there is he.”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 39:13 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  2. Job 39:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  3. Job 39:21 Hebrew They paw