Dual PanelGod Speaks to Job
1Then the LORD spoke to Job from a whirlwind and said,
2“Who is this ignorant person saying these foolish things?
3Prepare 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.
5And who decided how big the earth should be? Who measured it with a measuring line?
6What is the earth resting on? Who put the first stone in its place
7when the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted with joy?
8“Who closed the flood gates as the sea gushed from the womb?
9Who covered it with clouds and wrapped it in darkness?
10I set the limits for the sea and put it behind locked gates.
11I 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?
13Did you ever tell the morning light to grab the earth and shake those who are evil out of their hiding places?
14The 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.
15Evil 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?
17Has 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?
18Do 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?
20Can you take them back to where they belong? Do you know how to get there?
21Surely 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?
23I save them there for times of trouble, for the times of war and battle.
24Have you ever gone to the place where the sun comes up, where it makes the east wind blow all over the earth?
25Who dug ditches in the sky for the heavy rain? Who made a path for the thunderstorm?
26Who makes it rain even in desert places where no one lives?
27The rain gives that dry empty land all the water it needs, and grass begins to grow.
28Does the rain have a father? Who produces the drops of dew?
29Does ice have a mother? Who gives birth to the frost?
30That’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?
32Can you bring out the other constellations at the right times? Can you lead out the Bear with its cubs?
33Do 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?
35Can 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?
37Who is wise enough to count the clouds and tip them over to pour out their rain?
38The 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?
40No, they hide in their caves or wait in the grass, ready to attack their prey.
41Who feeds the ravens when their babies cry out to God and wander around without food?