Study Desk

My heart^(a) pounds at this and leaps from my chest.^[a]

Just listen to His thunderous voice and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.

He lets it loose beneath the entire sky; His lightning to the ends^(b) of the earth.

Then there comes a roaring sound; God thunders^(c) with His majestic voice. He does not restrain the lightning when His rumbling voice is heard.

God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things that we cannot comprehend.

For He says to the snow,^(d) "Fall to the earth," and the torrential rains, His mighty torrential rains,

serve as His sign to all mankind, so that all men may know His work.

The wild animals enter their lairs and stay in their dens.^(e)

The windstorm comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds.

Ice is formed by the breath of God,^(f) and watery expanses are frozen.

He saturates clouds with moisture;^(g) He scatters His lightning through them.

They swirl about, turning round and round at His direction, accomplishing everything He commands them over the surface of the inhabited world.

He causes this to happen for punishment, for His land, or for His faithful love.

Listen to this, Job. Stop and consider God's wonders.

Do you know how God directs His clouds or makes their lightning flash?

Do you understand how the clouds float, those wonderful works of Him who has perfect knowledge?

You whose clothes get hot when the south wind brings calm to the land,

can you help God spread out the skies as hard as a cast metal mirror?

Teach us what we should say to Him;^(h) we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness.

Should He be told that I want to speak? Can a man speak when he is confused?

Now men cannot even look at the sun when it is in the skies, after a wind has swept through and cleared them away.

Yet out of the north He comes, shrouded in a golden glow; awesome⁽ⁱ⁾ majesty surrounds Him.

The Almighty—we cannot reach Him— He is exalted in power! He will not oppress justice and abundant righteousness,

Therefore, men fear Him. He does not look favorably on any who are wise^(j) in heart.