1Then the LORDansweredJobout of the whirlwindand said,
2"Whois thisthat darkenscounselBy wordswithoutknowledge?
3"Nowgirdup your loinslike a man,And I will askyou, and you instructMe!
4"Wherewere you when I laidthe foundationof the earth?Tell[Me], ifyou haveunderstanding,
5Whosetits measurements?Sinceyou know.Orwhostretchedthe lineon it?
6"On whatwere its basessunk?Orwholaidits cornerstone,
7When the morningstarssangtogetherAnd allthe sonsof Godshoutedfor joy?
8"Or [who] enclosedthe seawith doorsWhen, burstingforth,it wentout from the womb;
9When I madea cloudits garmentAnd thickdarknessits swaddlingband,
10And I placedboundarieson it And seta boltand doors,
11And I said,'Thusfaryou shall come,but nofarther;And hereshall your proudwavesstop'?
12"Have you everin your lifecommandedthe morning,[And] caused the dawnto knowits place,
13That it might takeholdof the endsof the earth,And the wickedbe shakenout of it?
14"It is changedlike clay[under] the seal;And they standforthlikea garment.
15"From the wickedtheir lightis withheld,And the upliftedarmis broken.
16"Have you enteredinto the springsof the seaOr walkedin the recessesof the deep?
17"Have the gatesof deathbeen revealedto you, Or have you seenthe gatesof deepdarkness?
18"Have you understoodthe expanseof the earth?Tell[Me], ifyou knowallthis.
19"Whereis the wayto the dwellingof light?And darkness,whereis its place,
20That you may takeit to its territoryAnd that you may discernthe pathsto its home?
21"You know,for you were bornthen,And the numberof your daysis great!
22"Have you enteredthe storehousesof the snow,Or have you seenthe storehousesof the hail,
23WhichI have reservedfor the timeof distress,For the dayof warand battle?
24"Whereis the waythat the lightis divided,[Or] the eastwindscatteredon the earth?
25"Whohas clefta channelfor the flood,Or a wayfor the thunderbolt,
26To bringrainon a landwithoutpeople,[On] a desertwithouta manin it,
27To satisfythe wasteand desolateland And to make the seedsof grassto sprout?
28"Hasthe raina father?Orwhohas begottenthe dropsof dew?
29"From whosewombhas comethe ice?And the frostof heaven,whohas givenit birth?
30"Waterbecomeshardlike stone,And the surfaceof the deepis imprisoned.
31"Can you bindthe chainsof the Pleiades,Orloosethe cordsof Orion?
32"Can you leadfortha constellationin its season,And guidethe Bearwith her satellites?
33"Do you knowthe ordinancesof the heavens,Orfixtheir ruleover the earth?
34"Can you liftup your voiceto the clouds,So that an abundanceof waterwill coveryou?
35"Can you sendforth lightningsthat they may goAnd sayto you, 'Herewe are'?
36"Whohas putwisdomin the innermostbeingOrgivenunderstandingto the mind?
37"Whocan countthe cloudsby wisdom,Or tipthe waterjarsof the heavens,
38When the dusthardensinto a massAnd the clodssticktogether?
39"Can you huntthe preyfor the lion,Or satisfythe appetiteof the younglions,
40Whenthey crouchin [their] dens[And] liein waitin [their] lair?
41"Whopreparesfor the ravenits nourishmentWhenits youngcryto GodAnd wanderabout withoutfood?
