1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind , and said , 2Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge ? 3Gird up now thy loins like a man ; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. 4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth ? declare , if thou hast understanding . 5Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest ? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened ? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7When the morning stars sang together , and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8Or who shut up the sea with doors , when it brake forth , as if it had issued out of the womb ? 9When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, 10And brake up for it my decreed place , and set bars and doors , 11And said , Hitherto shalt thou come , but no further : and here shall thy proud waves be stayed ?
The Limits of Human Knowledge
12Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days ; and caused the dayspring to know his place ; 13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth , that the wicked might be shaken out of it? 14It is turned as clay to the seal ; and they stand as a garment . 15And from the wicked their light is withholden , and the high arm shall be broken . 16Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea ? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth ? 17Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death ? 18Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth ? declare if thou knowest it all. 19Where is the way where light dwelleth ? and as for darkness , where is the place thereof, 20That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof? 21Knowest thou it , because thou wast then born ? or because the number of thy days is great ? 22Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow ? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail , 23Which I have reserved against the time of trouble , against the day of battle and war ? 24By what way is the light parted , which scattereth the east wind upon the earth ?
God's Control Over Nature
25Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters , or a way for the lightning of thunder ; 26To cause it to rain on the earth , where no man is; on the wilderness , wherein there is no man ; 27To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth ? 28Hath the rain a father ? or who hath begotten the drops of dew ? 29Out of whose womb came the ice ? and the hoary frost of heaven , who hath gendered it? 30The waters are hid as with a stone , and the face of the deep is frozen . 31Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades , or loose the bands of Orion ? 32Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season ? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons ? 33Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven ? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth ? 34Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds , that abundance of waters may cover thee? 35Canst thou send lightnings , that they may go , and say unto thee, Here we are ? 36Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts ? or who hath given understanding to the heart ? 37Who can number the clouds in wisdom ? or who can stay the bottles of heaven , 38When the dust groweth into hardness , and the clods cleave fast together ?
The Mystery of Divine Wisdom
39Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion ? or fill the appetite of the young lions , 40When they couch in their dens , and abide in the covert to lie in wait ? 41Who provideth for the raven his food ? when his young ones cry unto God , they wander for lack of meat .