1 \38:39\Do you go after food for the she-lion, or get meat so that the young lions may have enough,

2 \38:40\When they are stretched out in their holes, and are waiting in the brushwood?

3 \38:41\Who gives in the evening the meat he is searching for, when his young ones are crying to God; when the young lions with loud noise go wandering after their food?

4 \39:1\Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?

5 \39:2\Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?

6 \39:3\They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.

7 \39:4\Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.

8 \39:5\Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?

9 \39:6\To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.

10 \39:7\He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;

11 \39:8\He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.

12 \39:9\Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?

13 \39:10\Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?

14 \39:11\Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?

15 \39:12\Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?

16 \39:13\Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,

17 \39:14\That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,

18 \39:15\Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?

19 \39:16\She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.

20 \39:17\For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.

21 \39:18\When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.

22 \39:19\Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?

23 \39:20\Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?

24 \39:21\He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.

25 \39:22\In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.

26 \39:23\The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.

27 \39:24\Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;

28 \39:25\When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.

29 \39:26\Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?

30 \39:27\Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?

31 \39:28\On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.

32 \39:29\From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.

33 \39:30\His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.

34 \40:1\...

35 \40:2\Will he who is protesting give teaching to the Ruler of all? Let him who has arguments to put forward against God give an answer.

36 \40:3\And Job said in answer to the Lord,

37 \40:4\Truly, I am of no value; what answer may I give to you? I will put my hand on my mouth.

38 \40:5\I have said once, and even twice, what was in my mind, but I will not do so again.

1 Sai tu quando le capre selvagge delle rocce figliano? Hai tu osservato quando le cerve partoriscono?

2 Conti tu i mesi della lor pregnanza e sai tu il momento in cui debbono sgravarsi?

3 S’accosciano, fanno i lor piccini, e son tosto liberate dalle loro doglie;

4 i lor piccini si fanno forti, crescono all’aperto, se ne vanno, e non tornan più alle madri.

5 Chi manda libero l’onàgro, e chi scioglie i legami all’asino salvatico,

6 al quale ho dato per dimora il deserto, e la terra salata per abitazione?

7 Egli si beffa del frastuono della città, e non ode grida di padrone.

8 Batte le montagne della sua pastura, e va in traccia d’ogni filo di verde.

9 Il bufalo vorrà egli servirti o passar la notte presso alla tua mangiatoia?

10 Legherai tu il bufalo con una corda perché faccia il solco? erpicherà egli le valli dietro a te?

11 Ti fiderai di lui perché la sua forza è grande? Lascerai a lui il tuo lavoro?

12 Conterai su lui perché ti porti a casa la raccolta e ti ammonti il grano sull’aia?

13 Lo struzzo batte allegramente l’ali; ma le penne e le piume di lui son esse pietose?

14 No, poich’egli abbandona sulla terra le proprie uova e le lascia scaldar sopra la sabbia.

15 Egli dimentica che un piede le potrà schiacciare, e che le bestie dei campi le potran calpestare.

16 Tratta duramente i suoi piccini, quasi non fosser suoi; la sua fatica sarà vana, ma ciò non lo turba,

17 ché Iddio l’ha privato di sapienza, e non gli ha impartito intelligenza.

18 Ma quando si leva e piglia lo slancio, si beffa del cavallo e di chi lo cavalca.

19 Sei tu che dài al cavallo il coraggio? che gli vesti il collo d’una fremente criniera?

20 Sei tu che lo fai saltar come la locusta? Il fiero suo nitrito incute spavento.

21 Raspa la terra nella valle ed esulta della sua forza; si slancia incontro alle armi.

22 Della paura si ride, non trema, non indietreggia davanti alla spada.

23 Gli risuona addosso il turcasso, la folgorante lancia e il dardo.

24 Con fremente furia divora la terra. Non sta più fermo quando suona la tromba.

25 Com’ode lo squillo, dice: Aha! E fiuta da lontano la battaglia, la voce tonante dei capi, e il grido di guerra.

26 E’ l’intelligenza tua che allo sparviere fa spiccare il volo e spiegar l’ali verso mezzogiorno?

27 E’ forse al tuo comando che l’aquila si leva in alto e fa il suo nido nei luoghi elevati?

28 Abita nelle rocce e vi pernotta; sta sulla punta delle rupi, sulle vette scoscese;

29 di là spia la preda, e i suoi occhi miran lontano.

30 I suoi piccini s’abbeveran di sangue, e dove son de’ corpi morti, ivi ella si trova".