1 “ Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?

Hast thou known the time of The bearing of the wild goats of the rock? The bringing forth of hinds thou dost mark!

2 C an you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young?

Thou dost number the months they fulfil? And thou hast known the time of their bringing forth!

3 T hey bow down, They bring forth their young, They deliver their offspring.

They bow down, Their young ones they bring forth safely, Their pangs they cast forth.

4 T heir young ones are healthy, They grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them.

Safe are their young ones, They grow up in the field, they have gone out, And have not returned to them.

5 “ Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager,

Who hath sent forth the wild ass free? Yea, the bands of the wild ass who opened?

6 W hose home I have made the wilderness, And the barren land his dwelling?

Whose house I have made the wilderness, And his dwellings the barren land,

7 H e scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver.

He doth laugh at the multitude of a city, The cries of an exactor he heareth not.

8 T he range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searches after every green thing.

The range of mountains his pasture, And after every green thing he seeketh.

9 “ Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger?

Is a Reem willing to serve thee? Doth he lodge by thy crib?

10 C an you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Or will he plow the valleys behind you?

Dost thou bind a Reem in a furrow his thick band? Doth he harrow valleys after thee?

11 W ill you trust him because his strength is great? Or will you leave your labor to him?

Dost thou trust in him because great his power? And dost thou leave unto him thy labour?

12 W ill you trust him to bring home your grain, And gather it to your threshing floor?

Dost thou trust in him That he doth bring back thy seed? And thy threshing-floor doth gather ?

13 “ The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?

The wing of the rattling ones exulteth, Whether the pinion of the ostrich or hawk.

14 F or she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms them in the dust;

For she leaveth on the earth her eggs, And on the dust she doth warm them,

15 S he forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may break them.

And she forgetteth that a foot may press it, And a beast of the field tread it down.

16 S he treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern,

Her young ones it hath hardened without her, In vain her labour without fear.

17 B ecause God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with understanding.

For God hath caused her to forget wisdom, And He hath not given a portion To her in understanding:

18 W hen she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider.

At the time on high she lifteth herself up, She laugheth at the horse and at his rider.

19 “ Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder?

Dost thou give to the horse might? Dost thou clothe his neck a mane?

20 C an you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror.

Dost thou cause him to rush as a locust? The majesty of his snorting terrible.

21 H e paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms.

They dig in a valley, and he rejoiceth in power, He goeth forth to meet the armour.

22 H e mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword.

He laugheth at fear, and is not affrighted, And he turneth not back from the face of the sword.

23 T he quiver rattles against him, The glittering spear and javelin.

Against him rattle doth quiver, The flame of a spear, and a halbert.

24 H e devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.

With trembling and rage he swalloweth the ground, And remaineth not stedfast Because of the sound of a trumpet.

25 A t the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting.

Among the trumpets he saith, Aha, And from afar he doth smell battle, Roaring of princes and shouting.

26 “ Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south?

By thine understanding flieth a hawk? Spreadeth he his wings to the south?

27 D oes the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high?

At thy command goeth an eagle up high? Or lifteth he up his nest?

28 O n the rock it dwells and resides, On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.

A rock he doth inhabit, Yea, he lodgeth on the tooth of a rock, and fortress.

29 F rom there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar.

From thence he hath sought food, To a far off place his eyes look attentively,

30 I ts young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it is. ”

And his brood gulph up blood, And where the pierced -- there he!