Job, 37

¹ “At this my heart pounds And leaps from its place.

² Listen carefully to the rumbling of his voice And the thunder that comes from his mouth.

³ He unleashes it under the entire heavens And sends his lightning to the ends of the earth.

⁴ After that is a roaring sound; He thunders with a majestic voice, And he does not hold it back when his voice is heard.

⁵ God thunders with his voice in a wonderful way; He does great things that are beyond our understanding.

⁶ For he says to the snow, ‘Fall to the earth,’ And to the downpour of rain, ‘Pour down mightily.’

⁷ God puts a stop to all human activity^*1 So that every mortal man will know His work.

⁸ The wild animals go into their dens And remain in their lairs.

⁹ The storm wind blows from its chamber, And the cold comes from the north winds.

¹⁰ By the breath of God, the ice is produced, And the broad waters are frozen solid.

¹¹ Yes, he weighs down the clouds with moisture; He scatters his lightning in the clouds;

¹² They swirl around where he directs them; They carry out whatever he commands on the surface of the inhabited earth.^*1

¹³ Whether it is for punishment^*1 or for the sake of the land Or for loyal love, he causes it to happen.

¹⁴ Listen to this, Job; Stop and consider carefully the wonderful works of God.

¹⁵ Do you know how God controls^*1 the clouds And how he causes the lightning to flash from his cloud?

¹⁶ Do you know how the clouds float? These are the wonderful works of the One perfect in knowledge.

¹⁷ Why does your clothing become hot When the earth is still because of the south wind?

¹⁸ Can you, with him, spread out^*1 the skies As solid as a metal mirror?

¹⁹ Tell us what we should say to him; We cannot answer because we are in the dark.

²⁰ Should he be told that I want to speak? Or has anyone said something that should be communicated to him?

²¹ They cannot even see the light,^*1 Though it is bright in the sky, Until a wind passes by and clears away the clouds.

²² Out of the north comes golden splendor; God’s majesty is awe-inspiring.

²³ Understanding the Almighty is beyond our reach; He is great in power, And he never violates his justice and abundant righteousness.

²⁴ Therefore, people should fear him. For he does not favor any who think that they are wise.”^*1