1. And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said:
2-11. “Why do you confuse the issue?Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?Pull yourself together, Job!Up on your feet! Stand tall!I have some questions for you,and I want some straight answers.Where were you when I created the earth?Tell me, since you know so much!Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that!Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?How was its foundation poured,and who set the cornerstone,While the morning stars sang in chorusand all the angels shouted praise?And who took charge of the oceanwhen it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds,and tucked it in safely at night.Then I made a playpen for it,a strong playpen so it couldn’t run loose,And said, ‘Stay here, this is your place.Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.’
12-15. “And have you ever ordered Morning, ‘Get up!’told Dawn, ‘Get to work!’So you could seize Earth like a blanketand shake out the wicked like cockroaches?As the sun brings everything to light,brings out all the colors and shapes,The cover of darkness is snatched from the wicked—they’re caught in the very act!
16-18. “Have you ever gotten to the true bottom of things,explored the labyrinthine caves of deep ocean?Do you know the first thing about death?Do you have one clue regarding death’s dark mysteries?And do you have any idea how large this earth is?Speak up if you have even the beginning of an answer.
19-21. “Do you know where Light comes fromand where Darkness livesSo you can take them by the handand lead them home when they get lost?Why, of course you know that.You’ve known them all your life,grown up in the same neighborhood with them!
22-30. “Have you ever traveled to where snow is made,seen the vault where hail is stockpiled,The arsenals of hail and snow that I keep in readinessfor times of trouble and battle and war?Can you find your way to where lightning is launched,or to the place from which the wind blows?Who do you suppose carves canyonsfor the downpours of rain, and chartsthe route of thunderstormsThat bring water to unvisited fields,deserts no one ever lays eyes on,Drenching the useless wastelandsso they’re carpeted with wildflowers and grass?And who do you think is the father of rain and dew,the mother of ice and frost?You don’t for a minute imaginethese marvels of weather just happen, do you?
31-33. “Can you catch the eye of the beautiful Pleiades sisters,or distract Orion from his hunt?Can you get Venus to look your way,or get the Great Bear and her cubs to come out and play?Do you know the first thing about the sky’s constellationsand how they affect things on Earth?