[1] "At the sound of his thunder, my heart pounds as if it will jump out of my chest. [2] Listen! Listen to the thunder of God's voice and to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. [3] He turns his lightning loose under the whole sky and sends it to the farthest parts of the earth. [4] After that you can hear the roar when he thunders with a great sound. He does not hold back the flashing when his voice is heard. [5] God's voice thunders in wonderful ways; he does great things we cannot understand. [6] He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the shower, 'Be a heavy rain.' [7] With it, he stops everyone from working so everyone knows it is the work of God. [8] The animals take cover from the rain and stay in their dens. [9] The storm comes from where it was stored; the cold comes with the strong winds. [10] The breath of God makes ice, and the wide waters become frozen. [11] He fills the clouds with water and scatters his lightning through them. [12] At his command they swirl around over the whole earth, doing whatever he commands. [13] He uses the clouds to punish people or to water his earth and show his love. [14] "Job, listen to this: Stop and notice God's miracles. [15] Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? [16] Do you know how the clouds hang in the sky? Do you know the miracles of God, who knows everything? [17] You suffer in your clothes when the land is silenced by the hot, south wind. [18] You cannot stretch out the sky like God and make it look as hard as polished bronze. [19] Tell us what we should say to him; we cannot get our arguments ready because we do not have enough understanding. [20] Should God be told that I want to speak? Would a person ask to be swallowed up? [21] No one can look at the sun when it is bright in the sky after the wind has blown all the clouds away. [22] God comes out of the north in golden light, in overwhelming greatness. [23] The Almighty is too high for us to reach. He has great strength; he is always right and never punishes unfairly. [24] That is why people honor him; he does not respect those who say they are wise."
