Study Desk

"Look, God is exalted in his strength; who is a teacher like him?

Who ever prescribed his course for him? Who ever said, ‘What you are doing is wrong'?

Remember, rather, to magnify his work, of which many have sung.

Look, God is great, beyond what we can know; the number of his years is uncountable.

"He makes the droplets of water, which condense into rain from his mist.

Can anyone fathom the spreading of the clouds, or the crashes that come from his canopy?

See how he scatters his lightning over it and covers the roots of the sea.

He gathers the lightning into his hands and commands it to strike the target.

Just listen to the rumbling of his voice, to the thunder that comes from his mouth!

He sends it out under all of heaven, his lightning to the ends of the earth.

There follows a sound, a roar — he is thundering with his majestic voice, and he keeps releasing [the lightning] even while his voice is being heard.

"God thunders wonderfully with his voice, he does great things beyond our understanding.

He weighs the clouds down with moisture, and they flash forth his lightning.

He, by his plans, turns them around, so they do what he commands them anywhere on earth;

he brings them forth on the earth sometimes to punish, sometimes to express his grace.

Do you know how God puts them in place, how he causes lightning to flash from his cloud?

Shaddai, whom we cannot find, whose power is immense, in his great righteousness does not pervert justice.

"Who is this, darkening my plans with his ignorant words?

Who provides food for the raven when his young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?

The [rider's] quiver rattles over it, [his] gleaming spear and javelin.