Job 39

1Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? dost thou mark the calving of the hinds?

1Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?

2Dost thou number the months that they fulfil? and knowest thou the time when they bring forth?

2Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?

3They bow themselves, they give birth to their young ones, they cast out their pains;

3They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.

4Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field, they go forth, and return not unto them.

4Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.

5Who hath sent out the wild ass free? and who hath loosed the bands of the onager,

5Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?

6Whose house I made the wilderness, and the salt plain his dwellings?

6To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.

7He laugheth at the tumult of the city, and heareth not the shouts of the driver;

7He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;

8The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.

8He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.

9Will the buffalo be willing to serve thee, or will he lodge by thy crib?

9Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?

10Canst thou bind the buffalo with his cord in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?

10Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?

11Wilt thou put confidence in him, because his strength is great? and wilt thou leave thy labour to him?

11Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?

12Wilt thou trust him to bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy threshing-floor?

12Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?

13The wing of the ostrich beats joyously — But is it the stork's pinion and plumage?

13Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,

14For she leaveth her eggs to the earth, and warmeth them in the dust,

14That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,

15And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the beast of the field may trample them.

15Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?

16She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers; her labour is in vain, without her concern.

16She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.

17ForGod hath deprived her of wisdom, and hath not furnished her with understanding.

17For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.

18What time she lasheth herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.

18When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.

19Hast thou given strength to the horse? hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane?

19Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?

20Dost thou make him to leap as a locust? His majestic snorting is terrible.

20Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?

21He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in [his] strength; he goeth forth to meet the armed host.

21He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.

22He laugheth at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from before the sword.

22In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.

23The quiver rattleth upon him, the glittering spear and the javelin.

23The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.

24He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage, and cannot contain himself at the sound of the trumpet:

24Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;

25At the noise of the trumpets he saith, Aha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

25When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.

26Doth the hawk fly by thine intelligence, [and] stretch his wings toward the south?

26Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?

27Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make his nest on high?

27Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?

28He inhabiteth the rock and maketh his dwelling on the point of the cliff, and the fastness:

28On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.

29From thence he spieth out the prey, his eyes look into the distance;

29From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.

30And his young ones suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is he.

30His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.