Job - Chapter 38 | New King James Version

  • 1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
  • 2. "Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
  • 3. Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
  • 4. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
  • 5. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
  • 6. To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,
  • 7. When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
  • 8. "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
  • 9. When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band;
  • 10. When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors;
  • 11. When I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!'
  • 12. "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place,
  • 13. That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
  • 14. It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment.
  • 15. From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken.
  • 16. "Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?
  • 17. Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
  • 18. Have you comprehended the breadth of 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 may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home?
  • 21. Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great?
  • 22. "Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
  • 23. Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?
  • 24. By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
  • 25. "Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt,
  • 26. To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man;
  • 27. To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
  • 28. Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
  • 29. From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
  • 30. The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen.
  • 31. "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion?
  • 32. Can you bring out Mazzaroth {cf2super [56]} in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
  • 33. Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?
  • 34. "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance 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 put wisdom in the mind? {cf2super [57]} Or who has given understanding to the heart?
  • 37. Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
  • 38. When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together?
  • 39. "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
  • 40. When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
  • 41. Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?
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