Job 37

¹My heart ^a pounds at this

and leaps from my chest. ^b

²Just listen to his thunderous voice

and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

³He lets it loose beneath the entire sky;

his lightning to the ends ^c of the earth.

⁴Then there comes a roaring sound;

God thunders ^d with his majestic voice.

He does not restrain the lightning

when his rumbling voice is heard.

⁵God thunders wondrously with his voice;

he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

⁶For he says to the snow, ^e “Fall to the earth,”

and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains,

⁷serve as his sign to all mankind,

so that all men may know his work.

⁸The wild animals enter their lairs

and stay in their dens. ^f

⁹The windstorm comes from its chamber,

and the cold from the driving north winds.

¹⁰Ice is formed by the breath of God, ^g

and watery expanses are frozen.

¹¹He saturates clouds with moisture; ^h

he scatters his lightning through them.

¹²They swirl about,

turning round and round at his direction,

accomplishing everything he commands them

over the surface of the inhabited world.

¹³He causes this to happen for punishment,

for his land, or for his faithful love.

¹⁴Listen to this, Job.

Stop and consider God’s wonders.

¹⁵Do you know how God directs his clouds

or makes their lightning flash?

¹⁶Do you understand how the clouds float,

those wonderful works of him who has perfect knowledge?

¹⁷You whose clothes get hot

when the south wind brings calm to the land,

¹⁸can you help God spread out the skies

as hard as a cast metal mirror?

¹⁹Teach us what we should say to him; ⁱ

we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness.

²⁰Should he be told that I want to speak?

Can a man speak when he is confused?

²¹Now no one can even look at the sun

after a wind has swept through and cleared the sky.

²²Out of the north he comes, shrouded in a golden glow;

awesome ^j majesty surrounds him.

²³The Almighty #— #we cannot reach him —

he is exalted in power!

He will not violate justice and abundant righteousness,

²⁴therefore, men fear him.

He does not look favorably on any who are wise ^k in heart.