Job 38:1-41 ICB

[1] Then the Lord answered Job from the storm. He said: [2] "Who is this that makes my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true? [3] Be strong like a man. I will ask you questions, and you must answer me. [4] Where were you when I made the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. [5] Who marked off how big it should be? Surely you know! [6] What were the earth's foundations set on? Or who put its cornerstone in place? [7] Who did all this while the morning stars sang together? Who did this while the angels shouted with joy? [8] "Who shut the doors to keep the sea in when it broke through and was born? [9] This was when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea. And I wrapped the sea in dark clouds. [10] It was when I put limits on the sea. And I put its doors and bars in place. [11] It was when I said to the sea, 'You may come this far, but no farther. This is where your proud waves must stop.' [12] "Have you ever given orders for morning to begin? Or have you shown the dawn where its place was? [13] The dawn takes hold of earth by its edges and shakes evil people out of it. [14] At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal. The hills and valleys stand out like folds in a coat. [15] Light is not given to evil people. Their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken. [16] "Have you ever gone to where the sea begins? Or have you walked in the valleys under the sea? [17] Have the gates of death been opened to you? Or have you seen the gates of the deep darkness? [18] Do you understand the great width of the earth? Tell me, if you know all these things. [19] "What is the path to light's home? And where does darkness live? [20] Can you take them to their places? Do you know the way to their homes? [21] Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened! Have you lived that many years? [22] "Have you ever gone into the storehouse where snow is kept? Or have you seen the storehouses for hail? [23] I save the snow and hail for times of trouble. I save them for days of war and battle. [24] How do you get to the place where light comes from? Or where is the place from which the east winds are scattered over the earth? [25] Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains? And who sets a path for the thunderstorm to follow? [26] Who waters the land where no one lives? Who waters the desert that has no one in it? [27] Who sends rain to satisfy the empty land so the grass begins to grow? [28] Does the rain have a father? Who is father to the drops of dew? [29] Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the sky? [30] The waters become hard as stone. Even the surface of the deep ocean is frozen. [31] "Can you tie up the stars of the Pleiades? Can you loosen the ropes of the stars in Orion? [32] Can you bring out the stars at the right times? Or can you lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs? [33] Do you know the laws of the sky? Can you understand their rule over the earth? [34] "Can you shout an order to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? [35] Can you send lightning bolts on their way? Do the flashes of lightning report to you and say, 'Here we are'? [36] Who put wisdom inside the mind? Or who put understanding in the heart? [37] Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can pour water from the jars of heaven? [38] Who can do this when the dust becomes hard and the clumps of dirt stick together? [39] "Do you hunt food for the female lion to satisfy the hunger of the young lions? [40] Do you hunt for them while they lie in their dens or hide in the bushes waiting to attack? [41] Who gives food to the birds when their young cry out to God? And who gives them food when they wander about without any?