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38 <1> Then the Lord spoke to Job from a
whirlwind and said:
<2> "Who is this ignorant person
saying these foolish things?"[88]
<3> Brace yourself[89]
and get ready to answer the questions that I will ask you.
<4> "Where were you when I made the earth?
If you are so smart, answer me.
<5> If you are so smart,
Who decided how big the world would be?
Who measured the world with a measuring line?
<6> What is the earth resting on?
Who put the first stone in its place
<7> when the morning stars sang together
and the angels[90] shouted with joy!
<8> "Who closed the flood gates
as the sea gushed from the womb.
<9> Who covered it with clouds
and wrapped it in darkness.
<10> I set the limits for the sea
and put it behind locked gates.
<11> I said to the sea,
'You can come this far, but no farther.
This is where your proud waves will stop.'
<12> "Did you ever in your life
command the morning to start
or the day to begin?
<13> Did you ever tell the morning light
to grab the earth and shake those who are evil out of their hiding places?
<14> The morning light makes the hills
and the valleys easy to see.
When the daylight comes to the earth,
the shapes of these places stand out like the folds of a coat.
They take shape like soft clay
that is pressed with a stamp.
<15> Evil people don't like the daylight.
When it shines bright, it stops them
from doing their bad things.
<16> "Have you ever gone
to the deepest parts of the sea?
Have you ever walked
on the ocean bottom?
<17> Have you ever seen the gates
leading to the world of the dead?
Have you ever seen the gates
leading to that dark place of death?
<18> Do you really understand
how large the earth is?
Tell me, if you know all this.
<19> "Where does light come from?
Where does darkness come from?
<20> Can you take light and dark
back to where they came from?
Do you know how to get there?
<21> Surely you know these things.
You are very old and wise.
You were alive when I made them, weren't you?[91]
<22> "Have you ever gone into
the storerooms where I keep
the snow and the hail?
<23> I save the snow and the hail
for times of trouble,
for the times of war and battle.
<24> Have you ever gone to the place
where the sun comes up,
where it makes the east wind blow all over the earth?[92]
<25> Who dug ditches in the sky for the heavy rain?
Who made a path for the thunderstorm?
<26> Who makes it rain even in places
where no one lives?
<27> That rain gives plenty of water
to that empty land and grass begins to grow.
<28> Does the rain have a father?
Who produces the drops of dew?
<29> Does ice have a mother?
Who gives birth to the frost?
<30> Water freezes as hard as a rock.
Even the ocean freezes over!
<31> "Can you tie up the Pleiades?[93]
Can you unfasten the belt of Orion?[94]
<32> Can you bring out the constellations[95]
at the right times?
Or can you lead out the Bear[96] with its cubs?
<33> Do you know the laws that control the sky?
Can you put each star in its place above the earth?[97]
<34> "Can you shout at the clouds
and command them to cover you with rain?
<35> Can you give a command to the lightning?
Will it come to you and say,
'Here we are.
What do you want, sir?'
Will it go wherever you want it to go?
<36> "Who makes people wise?
Who puts wisdom deep inside of them?
<37> Who is wise enough to count the clouds
and tip them over to pour out their rain?
<38> So the dust becomes mud
and the clods of dirt stick together.
<39> "Do you find food for the lions?
Do you feed their hungry babies?
<40> No. Lions lie down in their caves,
they crouch down in the grass ready to attack their prey.
<41> Who feeds the ravens
when their babies yell out to God
and wander around without food?
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.