“Who sent the (A)wild donkey out free?
And who opened the bonds of the swift donkey,
To whom I gave (B)the wilderness as his home,
And the salt land as his dwelling place?
He laughs at the turmoil of the city,
He does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.
He explores the mountains of his pasture,
And searches after every green thing.
Will the (C)wild bull be willing to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your feeding trough?
10 Can you tie down the wild bull in a furrow with [a]ropes,
Or will he [b]plow the valleys after you?
11 Will you trust him because his strength is great,
And leave your labor to him?
12 Will you have faith in him that he will return your [c]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

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Footnotes

  1. Job 39:10 Lit his rope
  2. Job 39:10 I.e., pull a harrow, a farming device
  3. Job 39:12 Lit seed

Wild donkey

Who freed the wild donkey,
        loosed the ropes of the onager
    to whom I gave the desert as home,
        his dwelling place in the salt flats?
He laughs at the clamor of the town,
        doesn’t hear the driver’s shout,
    searches the hills for food
        and seeks any green sprout.

Wild ox

Will the wild ox agree to be your slave,
    or will it spend the night in your crib?
10 Can you bind it with a rope to a plowed row;
    will it plow the valley behind you?
11 Will you trust it because its strength is great
    so that you can leave your work to it?
12 Can you rely on it to bring back your grain
    to gather into your threshing floor?

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