Job 39

¹Do you know at what time the wild goats have given birth among the rocks, or do you observe the deer when they go into labor?

²Have you numbered the months since their conception, and do you know at what time they gave birth?

³They bend themselves for their offspring, and they give birth, and they emit roars.

⁴Their young are weaned and go out to feed; they depart and do not return to them.

⁵Who has set the wild ass free, and who has released his bonds?

⁶I have given a house in solitude to him, and his tabernacle is in the salted land.

⁷He despises the crowded city; he does not pay attention to the bellow of the tax collector.

⁸He looks around the mountains of his pasture, and he searches everywhere for green plants.

⁹Will the rhinoceros be willing to serve you, and will he remain in your stall?

¹⁰Can you detain the rhinoceros with your harness to plough for you, and will he loosen the soil of the furrows behind you?

¹¹Will you put your faith in his great strength, and delegate your labors to him?

¹²Will you trust him to return to you the seed, and to gather it on your drying floor?

¹³The wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the heron, and of the hawk.

¹⁴When she leaves eggs behind in the earth, will you perhaps warm them in the dust?

¹⁵She forgets that feet may trample them, or that the beasts of the field may shatter them.

¹⁶She is hardened against her young, as if they were not hers; she has labored in vain, with no fear compelling her.

¹⁷For God has deprived her of wisdom; neither has he given her understanding.

¹⁸Yet, when the time is right, she raises her wings on high; she ridicules the horse and his rider.

¹⁹Will you supply strength to the horse, or envelope his throat with neighing?

²⁰Will you alarm him as the locusts do? His panic is revealed by the display of his nostrils.

²¹He digs at the earth with his hoof; he jumps around boldly; he advances to meet armed men.

²²He despises fear; he does not turn away from the sword.

²³Above him, the quiver rattles, the spear and the shield shake.

²⁴Seething and raging, he drinks up the earth; neither does he pause when the blast of the trumpet sounds.

²⁵When he hears the bugle, he says, “Ha!” He smells the battle from a distance, the exhortation of the officers, and the battle cry of the soldiers.

²⁶Does the hawk grow feathers by means of your wisdom, spreading her wings towards the south?

²⁷Will the eagle lift herself up at your command and make her nest in steep places?

²⁸She dwells among the rocks, and she lingers among broken boulders and inaccessible cliffs.

²⁹From there, she looks for food, and her eyes catch sight of it from far away.

³⁰Her young will drink blood, and wherever the carcass will be, she is there immediately.

³¹And the Lord continued, and he said to Job:

³²Will he who contends with God be so easily silenced? Certainly, he who argues with God must also respond to him.

³³Then Job answered the Lord, saying:

³⁴What could I possibly answer, since I have been speaking thoughtlessly? I will place my hand over my mouth.

³⁵One thing I have spoken, which I wish I had not said; and another, to which I will add no more.

Job 39

¹Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?

²Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?

³They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.

⁴Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.

⁵Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?

⁶Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.

⁷He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.

⁸The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.

⁹Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?

¹⁰Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?

¹¹Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?

¹²Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?

¹³Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?

¹⁴Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,

¹⁵And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.

¹⁶She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;

¹⁷Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

¹⁸What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.

¹⁹Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?

²⁰Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.

²¹He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.

²²He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.

²³The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.

²⁴He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.

²⁵He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

²⁶Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?

²⁷Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?

²⁸She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.

²⁹From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.

³⁰Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.