The Lord Answers Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the strong wind and said, 2 “Who is this that makes words of wisdom dark by speaking without much learning? 3 Now get ready like a man, and I will ask you some questions and you answer Me. 4 Where were you when I began building the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who decided how big it was to be, since you know? Who looked to see if it was as big as it should be? 6 What was it built upon? Who laid its first stone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God called out for joy?
8 “Who shut up the sea with doors, when it rushed out from its secret place? 9 I made clouds its clothing, and put much darkness around it. 10 I marked the places where it could not pass, and set locks and doors. 11 And I said, ‘You will come this far, and no farther. Here will your proud waves stop.’
12 “Have you ever in your life told the morning when to come, and caused the first light of day to know its place, 13 that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the sinful be shaken out of it? 14 It is changed like clay when an object is pushed down to mark it, and they stand out like clothing. 15 The light of the sinful is held back, and the arm lifted up is broken.
16 “Have you gone into the wells of the sea? Have you walked on the bottom of the deep sea? 17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Or have you seen the gates of the deep darkness? 18 Have you understood how great the earth is? Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where does the light come from? And where is the place of darkness, 20 that you may take it to its land, and know the paths to its home? 21 You know, for you were born then. You are very old! 22 Have you gone into the store-houses of the snow? Have you seen the store-houses of the hail, 23 which I have kept for the time of trouble, for the day of war and battle? 24 What is the way to the place where the light is divided, or the east wind spread over the earth?
25 “Who has cut open a way for the flood, and a path for the thunderstorm? 26 Who brings rain on the land without people, on a desert without a man in it, 27 to fill the need of the wasted land, and to make the grass grow? 28 Does the rain have a father? Who has given birth to the drops of rain? 29 Who gave birth to ice? And who gave birth to the snow water of heaven? 30 Water becomes hard like stone, and the top of the sea is covered with ice.
31 “Can you tie the chains of the stars of Pleiades, or loose the ropes of Orion? 32 Can you lead the groups of stars out at the right times? Can you lead the stars of the Bear with her young? 33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you make them to rule over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of water may cover you? 35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? 36 Who has given wisdom to the heart? Who has given understanding to the mind? 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can push over the water jars of the heavens, 38 when the dust gathers together and becomes hard?
39 “Can you hunt food for the lion? Can you fill the hunger of the young lions, 40 when they lie in their own place in the rock, or wait in their hiding place? 41 Who gets the food ready for the raven, when its young cry to God and go about without food?