| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: | 1Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind. He said: |
| 2“Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? | 2Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words? |
| 3Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. | 3Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me. |
| 4“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. | 4Where were you when I established the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. |
| 5Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? | 5Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? |
| 6To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, | 6What supports its foundations? Or who laid its cornerstone |
| 7When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? | 7while 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; | 8Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst from the womb, |
| 9When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; | 9when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, |
| 10When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; | 10when I determined its boundaries and put its bars and doors in place, |
| 11When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’ | 11when I declared: "You may come this far, but no farther; your proud waves stop here"? |
| 12“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, | 12Have you ever in your life commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place, |
| 13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? | 13so it may seize the edges of the earth and shake the wicked out of it? |
| 14It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment. | 14The earth is changed as clay is by a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment. |
| 15From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken. | 15Light is withheld from the wicked, and the arm raised in violence is broken. |
| 16“Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? | 16Have you traveled to the sources of the sea or walked in the depths of the oceans? |
| 17Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? | 17Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of deep darkness? |
| 18Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. | 18Have you comprehended the extent 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, | 19Where is the road to the home of light? Do you know where darkness lives, |
| 20That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home? | 20so you can lead it back to its border? Are you familiar with the paths to its home? |
| 21Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great? | 21Don't you know? You were already born; you have lived so long! |
| 22“Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, | 22Have you entered the place where the snow is stored? Or have you seen the storehouses of hail, |
| 23Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? | 23which I hold in reserve for times of trouble, for the day of warfare and battle? |
| 24By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth? | 24What road leads to the place where light is dispersed? Where is the source of the east wind that spreads across the earth? |
| 25“Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt, | 25Who cuts a channel for the flooding rain or clears the way for lightning, |
| 26To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man; | 26to bring rain on an uninhabited land, on a desert with no human life, |
| 27To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? | 27to satisfy the parched wasteland and cause the grass to sprout? |
| 28Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? | 28Does the rain have a father? Who fathered the drops of dew? |
| 29From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? | 29Whose womb did the ice come from? Who gave birth to the frost of heaven |
| 30The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen. | 30when water becomes as hard as stone, and the surface of the watery depths is frozen? |
| 31“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? | 31Can you fasten the chains of the Pleiades or loosen the belt of Orion? |
| 32Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? | 32Can you bring out the constellations in their season and lead the Bear and her cubs? |
| 33Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? | 33Do you know the laws of heaven? Can you impose its authority on earth? |
| 34“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you? | 34Can you command the clouds so that a flood of water covers you? |
| 35Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, ‘Here we are!’? | 35Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go? Do they report to you: "Here we are"? |
| 36Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? | 36Who put wisdom in the heart or gave the mind understanding? |
| 37Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, | 37Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven |
| 38When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together? | 38when the dust hardens like cast metal and the clods of dirt stick together? |
| 39“Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, | 39Can you hunt prey for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of young lions |
| 40When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait? | 40when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait within their lairs? |
| 41Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food? | 41Who provides the raven's food when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? |
|
