Job 38:1-41 ERV

[1] Then the LORD spoke to Job from a whirlwind and said, [2] "Who is this ignorant person saying these foolish things? [3] Prepare yourself for an attack! Get ready to answer the questions I will ask you. [4] "Where were you when I made the earth? If you are so smart, answer me. [5] And who decided how big the earth should be? Who measured it with a measuring line? [6] What is the earth resting on? Who put the first stone in its place [7] when the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted with joy? [8] "Who closed the flood gates as the sea gushed from the womb? [9] Who covered it with clouds and wrapped it in darkness? [10] I set the limits for the sea and put it behind locked gates. [11] I said to the sea, 'You can come this far, but no farther. This is where your proud waves will stop.' [12] "Did you ever in your life command the morning to begin or the day to dawn? [13] Did you ever tell the morning light to grab the earth and shake those who are evil out of their hiding places? [14] The morning light makes the hills and valleys easy to see. When the daylight comes to the earth, the shapes of these places stand out like the folds of a coat. They take shape like soft clay that is pressed with a stamp. [15] Evil people don't like the daylight. When it shines bright, it keeps them from doing the bad things they do. [16] "Have you ever gone to the deepest parts of the sea? Have you ever walked on the ocean bottom? [17] Has anyone shown you the gates to the world of the dead? Have you ever seen those gates that lead to the dark place of death? [18] Do you really understand how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all this. [19] "Where does light come from? Where does darkness come from? [20] Can you take them back to where they belong? Do you know how to get there? [21] Surely you know these things, since you are so old and wise. You were alive when I made them, weren't you? [22] "Have you ever gone into the storerooms where I keep the snow and the hail? [23] I save them there for times of trouble, for the times of war and battle. [24] Have you ever gone to the place where the sun comes up, where it makes the east wind blow all over the earth? [25] Who dug ditches in the sky for the heavy rain? Who made a path for the thunderstorm? [26] Who makes it rain even in desert places where no one lives? [27] The rain gives that dry empty land all the water it needs, and grass begins to grow. [28] Does the rain have a father? Who produces the drops of dew? [29] Does ice have a mother? Who gives birth to the frost? [30] That's when the water freezes as hard as a rock. Even the deep sea freezes over! [31] "Can you tie up the Pleiades? Can you unfasten the belt of Orion ? [32] Can you bring out the other constellations at the right times? Can you lead out the Bear with its cubs? [33] Do you know the laws that control the sky? Can you put each star in its place above the earth? [34] "Can you shout at the clouds and command them to cover you with rain? [35] Can you give a command to the lightning? Will it come to you and say, 'Here we are; what do you want, sir?' Will it go wherever you want it to go? [36] "Who makes people wise? Who puts wisdom deep inside them? [37] Who is wise enough to count the clouds and tip them over to pour out their rain? [38] The rain makes the dust become mud, and the clumps of dirt stick together. [39] "Do you find food for the lions? Do you feed their hungry babies? [40] No, they hide in their caves or wait in the grass, ready to attack their prey. [41] Who feeds the ravens when their babies cry out to God and wander around without food?