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27 Indeed, he draws up the drops of water;
he distills the rain into its mist,
28 which the clouds pour down;
they shower abundantly on human beings.
29 “Moreover, can anyone understand[a] the spreading of clouds,
the thundering of his dwelling place?
30 Look, he scatters his lightning around him,
and he covers the roots of the sea.
31 Indeed, he judges people by them;
he gives food in abundance.[b]
32 He covers his hands with lightning,
and he commands it the place at which to strike.
33 His thundering tells about him;
the livestock also tell concerning what rises.[c]

Elihu Extols God’s Majesty

37 “About this also my heart trembles,
and it leaps from its place.
Listen carefully to his voice’s thunder
and the rumbling that goes out from his mouth.
He lets it loose under all the heavens,
and his lightning to the earth’s corners.
After it, his voice roars;
it thunders with his majestic voice,[d]
and he does not restrain it when his voice is heard.
“God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways;
he does great things, and we cannot comprehend.
For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth’;
and the shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain[e]
he stops all human beings from working[f]
so that everyone whom he has made may know it.[g]
Then[h] the animal goes into its den,
and it remains in its den.
The storm wind comes from its chamber
and cold from the north wind.
10 By God’s breath, ice is given,
and the broad waters are frozen.
11 Also, he loads down thick clouds with moisture;
his lightning scatters the clouds.
12 And they[i] turn around by his guidance
to accomplish all that he has commanded them
on the face of the habitable world.[j]
13 Whether as correction[k] or for his land,
or as loyal love, he lets it happen.

Footnotes

  1. Job 36:29 Literally “if he can understand”
  2. Job 36:31 Literally “as far as providing in abundance”
  3. Job 36:33 Literally “about going up”
  4. Job 37:4 Literally “with the voice of his majesty”
  5. Job 37:6 Literally “the shower of rain and the show of rains of his strength”
  6. Job 37:7 Literally “on the hand of all man he seals”
  7. Job 37:7 Literally “to know all men of his work”
  8. Job 37:8 Hebrew “And”
  9. Job 37:12 Collective “clouds” in the first line takes the singular “it” here with the plural meaning
  10. Job 37:12 Literally “world of earth”
  11. Job 37:13 Literally “a rod”

27 For he makes waterdrops evaporate;[a]
they distill the rain into its[b] mist,(A)
28 which the clouds pour out
and shower abundantly on mankind.
29 Can anyone understand how the clouds spread out
or how the thunder roars from God’s pavilion?(B)
30 See how he spreads his lightning(C) around him
and covers the depths of the sea.
31 For he judges the nations with these;
he gives food in abundance.(D)
32 He covers his hands with lightning
and commands it to hit its mark.
33 The[c] thunder declares his presence;[d]
the cattle also, the approaching storm.

37 My heart(E) pounds at this
and leaps from my chest.[e]
Just listen to his thunderous voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
He lets it loose beneath the entire sky;
his lightning to the ends(F) of the earth.

Then there comes a roaring sound;
God thunders(G) with his majestic voice.
He does not restrain the lightning
when his rumbling voice is heard.
God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
For he says to the snow,(H) “Fall to the earth,”
and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains,
serve as his sign to all mankind,
so that all men may know his work.
The wild animals enter their lairs
and stay in their dens.(I)
The windstorm comes from its chamber,
and the cold from the driving north winds.
10 Ice is formed by the breath of God,(J)
and watery expanses are frozen.
11 He saturates clouds with moisture;(K)
he scatters his lightning through them.
12 They swirl about,
turning round and round at his direction,
accomplishing everything he commands them
over the surface of the inhabited world.
13 He causes this to happen for punishment,
for his land, or for his faithful love.

Footnotes

  1. 36:27 Lit he draws in waterdrops
  2. 36:27 Or his
  3. 36:33 Lit His, or Its
  4. 36:33 Lit thunder announces concerning him or it
  5. 37:1 Lit from its place