Then the LORD answered
Job
out of the whirlwind
, and said
,
Who is this that darkeneth counsel
by words
without knowledge
?
Gird up now thy loins
like a man
; for I will demand
of thee, and answer
thou me.
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations
of the earth
? declare
, if thou hast
understanding
.
Who hath laid the measures
thereof, if thou knowest
? or who hath stretched
the line
upon it?
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened
? or who laid
the corner
stone
thereof;
When the morning stars
sang
together
, and all the sons
of God
shouted
for joy?
Or who shut up the sea
with doors
, when it brake forth
, as if it had issued out
of the womb
?
When I made the cloud
the garment
thereof, and thick darkness
a swaddlingband
for it,
And brake up for it my decreed
place , and set
bars
and doors
,
And said, Hitherto
shalt thou come
, but no further
: and here shall thy proud
waves
be stayed
?
Hast thou commanded the morning
since thy days
; and caused the dayspring
to know
his place
;
That it might take hold of the ends
of the earth
, that the wicked
might be shaken out
of it?
It is turned as clay
to the seal
; and they stand
as a garment
.
And from the wicked their light
is withholden
, and the high
arm
shall be broken
.
Hast thou entered into the springs
of the sea
? or hast thou walked
in the search
of the depth
?
Have the gates of death
been opened
unto thee? or hast thou seen
the doors
of the shadow of death
?
Hast thou perceived the breadth
of the earth
? declare
if thou knowest
it all.
Where is the way where light
dwelleth
? and as for darkness
, where is the place
thereof,
That thou shouldest take it to the bound
thereof, and that thou shouldest know
the paths
to the house
thereof?
Knowest thou it , because thou wast then born
? or because the number
of thy days
is great
?
Hast thou entered into the treasures
of the snow
? or hast thou seen
the treasures
of the hail
,
Which I have reserved against the time
of trouble
, against the day
of battle
and war
?
By what way
is the light
parted
, which scattereth
the east wind
upon the earth
?
Who hath divided a watercourse
for the overflowing of waters
, or a way
for the lightning
of thunder
;
To cause it to rain on the earth
, where no man
is; on the wilderness
, wherein there is no man
;
To satisfy the desolate
and waste
ground ; and to cause the bud
of the tender herb
to spring forth
?
Hath the rain
a father
? or who hath begotten
the drops
of dew
?
Out of whose womb came
the ice
? and the hoary frost
of heaven
, who hath gendered
it?
The waters are hid
as with a stone
, and the face
of the deep
is frozen
.
Canst thou bind the sweet influences
of Pleiades
, or loose
the bands
of Orion
?
Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth
in his season
? or canst thou guide
Arcturus
with his sons
?
Knowest thou the ordinances
of heaven
? canst thou set
the dominion
thereof in the earth
?
Canst thou lift up thy voice
to the clouds
, that abundance
of waters
may cover
thee?
Canst thou send lightnings
, that they may go
, and say
unto thee, Here we are ?
Who hath put wisdom
in the inward parts
? or who hath given
understanding
to the heart
?
Who can number the clouds
in wisdom
? or who can stay
the bottles
of heaven
,
When the dust groweth
into hardness
, and the clods
cleave fast together
?
Wilt thou hunt the prey
for the lion
? or fill
the appetite
of the young lions
,
When they couch in their dens
, and abide
in the covert
to
lie in wait
?
Who provideth for the raven
his food
? when his young ones
cry
unto God
, they wander
for lack
of meat
.