1 T hen the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

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

3 N ow 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 W ho determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

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

7 W hen 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 W hen I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band;

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

11 W hen 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 T hat it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?

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

15 F rom 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 H ave the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?

18 H ave 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 T hat you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home?

21 D o 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 W hich I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?

24 B y 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 T o cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man;

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

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

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

30 T he 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 C an you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?

33 D o 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 C an you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, ‘Here we are! ’?

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

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

38 W hen 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 W hen they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?

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