Job 37

Christian Standard Bible

37 My heart^(A) pounds at this
and leaps from my chest.^[a]
2 Just listen to his thunderous voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
³ He lets it loose beneath the entire sky;
his lightning to the ends^(B) of the earth.

⁴ 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.
⁵ God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
⁶ For he says to the snow,^(D) “Fall to the earth,”
and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains,
⁷ serve as his sign to all mankind,
so that all men may know his work.
⁸ The wild animals enter their lairs
and stay in their dens.^(E)
9 The windstorm comes from its chamber,
and the cold from the driving north winds.
¹⁰ Ice is formed by the breath of God,^(F)
and watery expanses are frozen.
¹¹ He saturates clouds with moisture;^(G)
he scatters his lightning through them.
¹² They swirl about,
turning round and round at his direction,
accomplishing everything he commands them
over the surface of the inhabited world.
¹³ He causes this to happen for punishment,
for his land, or for his faithful love.

¹⁴ Listen to this, Job.
Stop and consider God’s wonders.
¹⁵ Do you know how God directs his clouds
or makes their lightning flash?
¹⁶ Do you understand how the clouds float,
those wonderful works of him who has perfect knowledge?
¹⁷ You whose clothes get hot
when the south wind brings calm to the land,
¹⁸ can you help God spread out the skies
as hard as a cast metal mirror?
¹⁹ Teach us what we should say to him;^(H)
we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness.
²⁰ Should he be told that I want to speak?
Can a man speak when he is confused?
²¹ Now no one can even look at the sun
after a wind has swept through and cleared the sky.
²² Out of the north he comes, shrouded in a golden glow;
awesome^(I) majesty surrounds him.
²³ The Almighty—we cannot reach him—
he is exalted in power!
He will not violate justice and abundant righteousness,
²⁴ therefore, men fear him.
He does not look favorably on any who are wise^(J) in heart.