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Elihu Says God Has Authority Over the Storm
37 “At this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
2 Listen closely to the (A)thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
3 Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
And His [a]lightning travels to the (B)ends of the earth.
4 After it, a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain [b]the lightning when His voice is heard.
5 God (C)thunders wondrously with His voice,
Doing (D)great things which we do not comprehend.
6 For to (E)the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
And to the [c](F)downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’
7 He (G)seals the hand of every person,
So that (H)all people may know His work.
8 Then the animal goes into its (I)lair
And remains in its [d]den.
9 From the [e](J)south comes the storm,
And from the north wind the cold.
10 From the breath of God (K)ice is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
11 He also (L)loads the clouds with moisture;
He (M)disperses (N)the cloud of His [f]lightning.
12 It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
That [g]it may do whatever He (O)commands [h]it
On the (P)face of the inhabited earth.
13 Whether for [i](Q)correction, or for (R)His earth,
Or for (S)goodness, He causes it to [j]happen.
14 “Listen to this, Job;
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
15 Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the [k]lightning of His clouds to shine?
16 Do you know about the hovering of the clouds,
The (T)wonders of One who is (U)perfect in knowledge,
17 You whose garments are hot
When the land is still because of the south wind?
18 Can you, with Him, (V)spread out the skies,
Strong as a cast metal mirror?
19 Teach us what we are to say to Him;
We (W)cannot present our case because of darkness.
20 Shall it be told Him that I would speak?
[l]Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?
21 “Now people do not see the light which is bright in the skies;
But the wind has passed and cleared them.
22 From the north comes golden splendor;
Around God is awesome majesty.
23 The Almighty—(X)we cannot find Him;
He is (Y)exalted in power
And (Z)He will not violate (AA)justice and abundant righteousness.
24 Therefore people (AB)fear Him;
He does not (AC)regard any who are wise of heart.”
God Speaks Now to Job
38 Then the Lord (AD)answered Job from the whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this who (AE)darkens the divine plan
By words without knowledge?
3 Now [m](AF)tighten the belt on your waist like a man,
And (AG)I shall ask you, and you inform Me!
4 Where were you (AH)when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you [n]have understanding,
5 Who set its (AI)measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the measuring line over it?
6 On what (AJ)were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the (AK)sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who (AL)enclosed the sea with doors
When it went out from the womb, bursting forth;
9 When I made a cloud its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling bands,
10 And I [o](AM)placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?
God’s Mighty Power
12 “Have you [p]ever in your life commanded the morning,
And made the dawn know its place,
13 So that it would take hold of (AN)the ends of the earth,
And (AO)the wicked would be shaken off from it?
14 It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand out like a garment.
15 (AP)Their light is withheld from the wicked,
And the (AQ)uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered (AR)the springs of the sea,
And walked [q]in the depth of the ocean?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
And have you seen the gates of (AS)deep darkness?
18 Have you understood the [r]expanse of (AT)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 would take it to (AU)its territory,
And discern the paths to its [s]home?
21 You know, for (AV)you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
22 Have you entered the storehouses (AW)of the snow,
And have you seen the storehouses of the (AX)hail,
23 Which I have reserved for a time of distress,
For a day of war and battle?
24 Where is the way that (AY)the light is divided,
And the east wind scattered on the earth?
25 “Who has split open a channel for the flood,
And a way for the thunderbolt,
26 To bring (AZ)rain on a land without [t]people,
On a desert without a person in it,
27 To (BA)satisfy the waste and desolate land,
And to make the [u]seeds of grass to sprout?
28 Does (BB)the rain have a father?
Or who has fathered the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb has come the (BC)ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 Water [v]becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31 “Can you tie up the chains of the (BD)Pleiades,
Or untie the cords of Orion?
32 Can you bring out a [w]constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her [x]satellites?
33 Do you know the (BE)ordinances of the heavens,
Or do you establish their rule over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds,
So that an (BF)abundance of water will cover you?
35 Can you (BG)send flashes of lightning, so that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has (BH)put wisdom in the innermost being,
Or given (BI)understanding to the [y]mind?
37 Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
And (BJ)pour out the water jars of the heavens,
38 When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?
39 “Can you hunt the (BK)prey for the lioness,
Or satisfy the appetite of young lions,
40 When they (BL)crouch in their hiding places,
And lie in wait in their lair?
41 Who prepares [z]feed for (BM)the raven
When its young cry to God,
And wander about without food?
God Speaks of Nature and Its Beings
39 “Do you know the time the [aa](BN)mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the (BO)deer?
2 Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
3 They kneel down, they deliver their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.
4 Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5 “Who sent the (BP)wild donkey out free?
And who opened the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I gave (BQ)the wilderness as his home,
And the salt land as his dwelling place?
7 He laughs at the turmoil of the city,
He does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.
8 He explores the mountains of his pasture,
And searches after every green thing.
9 Will the (BR)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 [ab]ropes,
Or will he [ac]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 [ad]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyously,
With the pinion and feathers of [ae]love,
14 For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush [af]them,
Or that a wild animal may trample [ag]them.
16 She treats her young (BS)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor is for nothing, she is [ah]unconcerned,
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 When she rushes away on 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 (BT)leap like locusts?
His majestic (BU)snorting is frightening.
21 [ai]He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He (BV)goes out to meet the battle.
22 He laughs at fear 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 He [aj]races over the ground with a roar and fury,
And he does not stand still when he hears the sound of the trumpet.
25 As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he senses the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your [ak]command that the eagle flies high,
And makes (BW)his nest on high?
28 He dwells and spends his nights on the cliff,
On the rocky cliff, an inaccessible place.
29 From there he (BX)tracks food;
His eyes look at it from afar.
30 His young ones also lick up blood greedily;
And (BY)where the slain are, there he is.”
13 But having the same (A)spirit of faith, according to what is written: “(B)I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14 knowing that He who (C)raised the Lord Jesus (D)will also raise us with Jesus, and will (E)present us with you. 15 For all things are (F)for your sakes, so that grace, having [a](G)spread to more and more people, will cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we (H)do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our (I)inner person is (J)being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, (K)light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we (L)look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The Temporal and Eternal
5 For we know that if our [b](M)earthly (N)tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house (O)not made by hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed, in this tent we (P)groan, longing to be (Q)clothed with our [c]dwelling from heaven, 3 since in fact after putting it on, we will not be found naked. 4 For indeed, we who are in this tent (R)groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be (S)clothed, so that what is (T)mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who (U)gave us the Spirit as a [d]pledge.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that (V)while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for (W)we walk by faith, not by [e]sight— 8 but we are of good courage and (X)prefer rather to be absent from the body and (Y)to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be (Z)pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before (AA)the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for [f]his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.
9 Yet You (A)have rejected us and brought us to (B)dishonor,
And (C)do not go out with our armies.
10 You cause us to (D)turn back from the enemy;
And those who hate us (E)have taken spoils for themselves.
11 You turn us over [a]to be eaten like (F)sheep,
And have (G)scattered us among the nations.
12 You (H)sell Your people [b]cheaply,
And have not [c]profited by their sale.
13 You make us an object of (I)reproach to our neighbors,
Of scoffing and (J)ridicule to those around us.
14 You make us (K)a proverb among the nations,
A [d](L)laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And [e]I am covered with my (M)humiliation,
16 Because of the voice of one who (N)taunts and reviles,
Because of the presence of the (O)enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us, but we have (P)not forgotten You,
And we have not (Q)dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not (R)turned back,
And our steps (S)have not deviated from Your way,
19 Yet You have (T)crushed us in a place of (U)jackals
And covered us with [f](V)deep darkness.
20 If we had (W)forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our [g]hands to (X)a strange god,
21 Would God not (Y)find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But (Z)for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are regarded as (AA)sheep to be slaughtered.
23 (AB)Wake Yourself up, why (AC)do You sleep, Lord?
Awake, (AD)do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You (AE)hide Your face
And (AF)forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our (AG)souls have sunk down into the dust;
Our bodies cling to the earth.
26 (AH)Rise up, be our help,
And (AI)redeem us because of Your mercy.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.