(A)It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

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29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

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33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

34 “For who has known the (A)mind of the Lord?
Or (B)who has become His counselor?”

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“Can(A) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than [a]Sheol—what can you know?

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Footnotes

  1. Job 11:8 The abode of the dead

You asked, (A)‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
(B)Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

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“Where(A) were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the [a]line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together,
And all (B)the sons of God shouted for joy?

“Or(C) who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When (D)I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
11 When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves (E)must stop!’

12 “Have you (F)commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And (G)the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their (H)light is withheld,
And (I)the [b]upraised arm is broken.

16 “Have you (J)entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17 Have (K)the gates of death been [c]revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
21 Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?

22 “Have you entered (L)the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
23 (M)Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is light [d]diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?

25 “Who (N)has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
27 (O)To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
28 (P)Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
And the (Q)frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is (R)frozen.[e]

31 “Can you bind the cluster of the (S)Pleiades,[f]
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out [g]Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide [h]the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know (T)the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
36 (U)Who has put wisdom in [i]the mind?
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?

39 “Can(V) you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they crouch in their dens,
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
41 (W)Who provides food for the raven,
When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?

God Continues to Challenge Job

39 “Do you know the time when the wild (X)mountain goats bear young?
Or can you mark when (Y)the deer gives birth?
Can you number the months that they fulfill?
Or do you know the time when they bear young?
They bow down,
They bring forth their young,
They deliver their [j]offspring.
Their young ones are healthy,
They grow strong with grain;
They depart and do not return to them.

“Who set the wild donkey free?
Who loosed the bonds of the [k]onager,
(Z)Whose home I have made the wilderness,
And the [l]barren land his dwelling?
He scorns the tumult of the city;
He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searches after (AA)every green thing.

“Will the (AB)wild ox be willing to serve you?
Will he bed by your manger?
10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes?
Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
11 Will you trust him because his strength is great?
Or will you leave your labor to him?
12 Will you trust him to bring home your [m]grain,
And gather it to your threshing floor?

13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground,
And warms them in the dust;
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may break them.
16 She (AC)treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;
Her labor is in vain, without [n]concern,
17 Because God deprived her of wisdom,
And did not (AD)endow her with understanding.
18 When she lifts herself on high,
She scorns the horse and its rider.

19 “Have you given the horse strength?
Have you clothed his neck with [o]thunder?
20 Can you [p]frighten him like a locust?
His majestic snorting strikes terror.
21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
(AE)He gallops into the clash of arms.
22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened;
Nor does he turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him,
The glittering spear and javelin.
24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage;
Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
The thunder of captains and shouting.

26 “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
And spread its wings toward the south?
27 Does the (AF)eagle mount up at your command,
And (AG)make its nest on high?
28 On the rock it dwells and resides,
On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.
29 From there it spies out the prey;
Its eyes observe from afar.
30 Its young ones suck up blood;
And (AH)where the slain are, there it is.

Footnotes

  1. Job 38:5 measuring line
  2. Job 38:15 Lit. high
  3. Job 38:17 Lit. opened
  4. Job 38:24 Lit. divided
  5. Job 38:30 Lit. imprisoned
  6. Job 38:31 Or the Seven Stars
  7. Job 38:32 Lit. Constellations
  8. Job 38:32 Or Arcturus
  9. Job 38:36 Lit. the inward parts
  10. Job 39:3 Lit. pangs
  11. Job 39:5 A species of wild donkey
  12. Job 39:6 Lit. salt land
  13. Job 39:12 Lit. seed
  14. Job 39:16 Lit. fear
  15. Job 39:19 Or a mane
  16. Job 39:20 make him spring

29 And (A)God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men (B)of the East and all (C)the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was (D)wiser than all men—(E)than Ethan the Ezrahite, (F)and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 (G)He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his (H)songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, (I)came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

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16 I was a father to the poor,
And (A)I searched out the case that I did not know.

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(A)Therefore give to Your servant an [a]understanding heart (B)to judge Your people, that I may (C)discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have (D)not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 (E)behold, I have done according to your words; (F)see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also (G)given you what you have not asked: both (H)riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So (I)if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, (J)as your father David walked, then I will (K)lengthen[b] your days.”

15 Then Solomon (L)awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and (M)made a feast for all his servants.

Solomon’s Wise Judgment

16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and (N)stood before him. 17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; [c]no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”

22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”

And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”

Thus they spoke before the king.

23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”

26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for (O)she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”

But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.

27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”

28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the (P)wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 3:9 Lit. hearing
  2. 1 Kings 3:14 prolong
  3. 1 Kings 3:18 Lit. no stranger

15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.

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19 And [a]I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:19 Lit. by me a decree has been put forth

“Shall (A)the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
He who (B)rebukes God, let him answer it.”

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17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, (A)let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.

The Decree of Darius

Then King Darius issued a decree, (B)and a search was made in the [a]archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 6:1 Lit. house of the scrolls

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