Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹But Job answered and said:

²“How have you helped him who is without power? How have you saved the arm that has no strength?

³How have you counseled one who has no wisdom? And how have you declared sound advice to many?

⁴To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit came from you?

⁵“The dead tremble, Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.

⁶Sheol is naked before Him, And Destruction has no covering.

⁷He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.

⁸He binds up the water in His thick clouds, Yet the clouds are not broken under it.

⁹He covers the face of His throne, And spreads His cloud over it.

¹⁰He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, At the boundary of light and darkness.

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble, And are astonished at His rebuke.

¹²He stirs up the sea with His power, And by His understanding He breaks up the storm.

¹³By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

¹⁴Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

¹Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:

²“As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,

³As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils,

⁴My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit.

⁵Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.

⁷“May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.

⁸For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life?

⁹Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him?

¹⁰Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God?

¹¹“I will teach you about the hand of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

¹²Surely all of you have seen it; Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?

¹³“This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:

¹⁴If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵Those who survive him shall be buried in death, And their widows shall not weep,

¹⁶Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay—

¹⁷He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver.

¹⁸He builds his house like a moth, Like a booth which a watchman makes.

¹⁹The rich man will lie down, But not be gathered up; He opens his eyes, And he is no more.

²⁰Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night.

²¹The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place.

²²It hurls against him and does not spare; He flees desperately from its power.

²³Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.

¹“Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined.

²Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore.

³Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.

⁴He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro.

⁵As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire;

⁶Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust.

⁷That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.

⁸The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

⁹He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots.

¹⁰He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing.

¹¹He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light.

¹²“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

¹³Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

¹⁵It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price.

¹⁶It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire.

¹⁷Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.

¹⁸No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies.

¹⁹The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

²⁰“From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air.

²²Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’

²³God understands its way, And He knows its place.

²⁴For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens,

²⁵To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure.

²⁶When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt,

²⁷Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.

²⁸And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”

¹Job further continued his discourse, and said:

²“Oh, that I were as in months past, As in the days when God watched over me;

³When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness;

⁴Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;

⁵When the Almighty was yet with me, When my children were around me;

⁶When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

⁷“When I went out to the gate by the city, When I took my seat in the open square,

⁸The young men saw me and hid, And the aged arose and stood;

⁹The princes refrained from talking, And put their hand on their mouth;

¹⁰The voice of nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

¹¹When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me;

¹²Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper.

¹³The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban.

¹⁵I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know.

¹⁷I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

¹⁸“Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest, And multiply my days as the sand.

¹⁹My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lies all night on my branch.

²⁰My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.’

²¹“Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.

²²After my words they did not speak again, And my speech settled on them as dew.

²³They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain.

²⁴If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.

²⁵I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; So I dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts mourners.

¹“But now they mock at me, men younger than I, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.

²Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished.

³They are gaunt from want and famine, Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,

⁴Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And broom tree roots for their food.

⁵They were driven out from among men, They shouted at them as at a thief.

⁶They had to live in the clefts of the valleys, In caves of the earth and the rocks.

⁷Among the bushes they brayed, Under the nettles they nestled.

⁸They were sons of fools, Yes, sons of vile men; They were scourged from the land.

⁹“And now I am their taunting song; Yes, I am their byword.

¹⁰They abhor me, they keep far from me; They do not hesitate to spit in my face.

¹¹Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off restraint before me.

¹²At my right hand the rabble arises; They push away my feet, And they raise against me their ways of destruction.

¹³They break up my path, They promote my calamity; They have no helper.

¹⁴They come as broad breakers; Under the ruinous storm they roll along.

¹⁵Terrors are turned upon me; They pursue my honor as the wind, And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.

¹⁶“And now my soul is poured out because of my plight; The days of affliction take hold of me.

¹⁷My bones are pierced in me at night, And my gnawing pains take no rest.

¹⁸By great force my garment is disfigured; It binds me about as the collar of my coat.

¹⁹He has cast me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes.

²⁰“I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me.

²¹But You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You oppose me.

²²You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success.

²³For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living.

²⁴“Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, If they cry out when He destroys it.

²⁵Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?

²⁶But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

²⁷My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; Days of affliction confront me.

²⁸I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

²⁹I am a brother of jackals, And a companion of ostriches.

³⁰My skin grows black and falls from me; My bones burn with fever.

³¹My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep.

¹“I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?

²For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

³Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

⁴Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps?

⁵“If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,

⁶Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity.

⁷If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands,

⁸Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.

⁹“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

¹⁰Then let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her.

¹¹For that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.

¹²For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase.

¹³“If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me,

¹⁴What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?

¹⁵Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

¹⁶“If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

¹⁷Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it

¹⁸(But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother’s womb I guided the widow);

¹⁹If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering;

²⁰If his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

²¹If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate;

²²Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket.

²³For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

²⁴“If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’;

²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much;

²⁶If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness,

²⁷So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand;

²⁸This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above.

²⁹“If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him

³⁰(Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul);

³¹If the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’

³²(But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler);

³³If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

³⁴Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door—

³⁵Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book!

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown;

³⁷I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.

³⁸“If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;

³⁹If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives;

⁴⁰Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

¹So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

²Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God.

³Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

⁴Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job.

⁵When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.

⁶So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are very old; Therefore I was afraid, And dared not declare my opinion to you.

⁷I said, ‘Age should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’

⁸But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

⁹Great men are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice.

¹⁰“Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.’

¹¹Indeed I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.

¹²I paid close attention to you; And surely not one of you convinced Job, Or answered his words—

¹³Lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom’; God will vanquish him, not man.

¹⁴Now he has not directed his words against me; So I will not answer him with your words.

¹⁵“They are dismayed and answer no more; Words escape them.

¹⁶And I have waited, because they did not speak, Because they stood still and answered no more.

¹⁷I also will answer my part, I too will declare my opinion.

¹⁸For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me.

¹⁹Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent; It is ready to burst like new wineskins.

²⁰I will speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.

²¹Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone; Nor let me flatter any man.

²²For I do not know how to flatter, Else my Maker would soon take me away.

¹“But please, Job, hear my speech, And listen to all my words.

²Now, I open my mouth; My tongue speaks in my mouth.

³My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge.

⁴The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

⁵If you can answer me, Set your words in order before me; Take your stand.

⁶Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed out of clay.

⁷Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will my hand be heavy on you.

⁸“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying,

⁹‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.

¹⁰Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy;

¹¹He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.’

¹²“Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man.

¹³Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.

¹⁴For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.

¹⁵In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds,

¹⁶Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.

¹⁷In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man,

¹⁸He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.

¹⁹“Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in many of his bones,

²⁰So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food.

²¹His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones stick out which once were not seen.

²²Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, And his life to the executioners.

²³“If there is a messenger for him, A mediator, one among a thousand, To show man His uprightness,

²⁴Then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom’;

²⁵His flesh shall be young like a child’s, He shall return to the days of his youth.

²⁶He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness.

²⁷Then he looks at men and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right, And it did not profit me.’

²⁸He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, And his life shall see the light.

²⁹“Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact, three times with a man,

³⁰To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

³¹“Give ear, Job, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will speak.

³²If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you.

³³If not, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”

¹Elihu further answered and said:

²“Hear my words, you wise men; Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.

³For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food.

⁴Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵“For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my justice;

⁶Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

⁷What man is like Job, Who drinks scorn like water,

⁸Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men?

⁹For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing That he should delight in God.’

¹⁰“Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.

¹¹For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.

¹²Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.

¹³Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world?

¹⁴If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,

¹⁵All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.

¹⁶“If you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words:

¹⁷Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just?

¹⁸Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’ And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?

¹⁹Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands.

²⁰In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand.

²¹“For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps.

²²There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

²³For He need not further consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment.

²⁴He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place.

²⁵Therefore He knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.

²⁶He strikes them as wicked men In the open sight of others,

²⁷Because they turned back from Him, And would not consider any of His ways,

²⁸So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted.

²⁹When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—

³⁰That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared.

³¹“For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastening; I will offend no more;

³²Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?

³³Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know.

³⁴“Men of understanding say to me, Wise men who listen to me:

³⁵‘Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom.’

³⁶Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost, Because his answers are like those of wicked men!

³⁷For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.”

¹Moreover Elihu answered and said:

²“Do you think this is right? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?

³For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’

⁴“I will answer you, And your companions with you.

⁵Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds— They are higher than you.

⁶If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?

⁷If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?

⁸Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man.

⁹“Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.

¹⁰But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,

¹¹Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’

¹²There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men.

¹³Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it.

¹⁴Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him.

¹⁵And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly,

¹⁶Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge.”

¹Elihu also proceeded and said:

²“Bear with me a little, and I will show you That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf.

³I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

⁴For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.

⁶He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed.

⁷He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted.

⁸And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction,

⁹Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly.

¹⁰He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity.

¹¹If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.

¹²But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge.

¹³“But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them.

¹⁴They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons.

¹⁵He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression.

¹⁶“Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness.

¹⁷But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.

¹⁸Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it.

¹⁹Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress?

²⁰Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place.

²¹Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction.

²²“Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him?

²³Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?

²⁴“Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung.

²⁵Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar.

²⁶“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.

²⁷For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist,

²⁸Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man.

²⁹Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy?

³⁰Look, He scatters His light upon it, And covers the depths of the sea.

³¹For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance.

³²He covers His hands with lightning, And commands it to strike.

³³His thunder declares it, The cattle also, concerning the rising storm.

¹“At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place.

²Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.

³He sends it forth under the whole heaven, His lightning to the ends of the earth.

⁴After it a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard.

⁵God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend.

⁶For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.

⁷He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work.

⁸The beasts go into dens, And remain in their lairs.

⁹From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, And cold from the scattering winds of the north.

¹⁰By the breath of God ice is given, And the broad waters are frozen.

¹¹Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds.

¹²And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, That they may do whatever He commands them On the face of the whole earth.

¹³He causes it to come, Whether for correction, Or for His land, Or for mercy.

¹⁴“Listen to this, O Job; Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.

¹⁵Do you know when God dispatches them, And causes the light of His cloud to shine?

¹⁶Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?

¹⁷Why are your garments hot, When He quiets the earth by the south wind?

¹⁸With Him, have you spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror?

¹⁹“Teach us what we should say to Him, For we can prepare nothing because of the darkness.

²⁰Should He be told that I wish to speak? If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up.

²¹Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies, When the wind has passed and cleared them.

²²He comes from the north as golden splendor; With God is awesome majesty.

²³As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, In judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress.

²⁴Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart.”

¹Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

²“Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

³Now 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.

⁵Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

⁶To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

⁷When 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;

⁹When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band;

¹⁰When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors;

¹¹When 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,

¹³That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?

¹⁴It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment.

¹⁵From 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?

¹⁷Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?

¹⁸Have 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,

²⁰That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home?

²¹Do 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,

²³Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?

²⁴By 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,

²⁶To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man;

²⁷To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?

²⁸Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?

²⁹From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?

³⁰The 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?

³²Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?

³³Do 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?

³⁵Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?

³⁶Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?

³⁷Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

³⁸When 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,

⁴⁰When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?

⁴¹Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?