Job 39

1“Job, do you know when mountain goats have their babies? Do you watch when female deer give birth?

2Do you count the months until the animals have their babies? Do you know the time when they give birth?

3They bend their back legs and have their babies. Then their labor pains stop.

4Their little ones grow strong and healthy in the wild. They leave and do not come home again.

5“Who let the wild donkeys go free? Who untied their ropes?

6I gave them the dry and empty land as their home. I gave them salt flats to live in.

7They laugh at all the noise in town. They do not hear the shouts of the donkey drivers.

8They wander over the hills to look for grass. They search for anything green to eat.

9“Job, will wild oxen agree to serve you? Will they stay by your feed box at night?

10Can you keep them in straight rows with harnesses? Will they plow the valleys behind you?

11Will you depend on them for their great strength? Will you let them do your heavy work?

12Can you trust them to haul in your grain? Will they bring it to your threshing floor?

13“The wings of ostriches flap with joy. But they can’t compare with the wings and feathers of storks.

14Ostriches lay their eggs on the ground. They let them get warm in the sand.

15They do not know that something might step on them. A wild animal might walk all over them.

16Ostriches are mean to their little ones. They treat them as if they did not belong to them. They do not care that their work was useless.

17I did not provide ostriches with wisdom. I did not give them good sense.

18But when they spread their feathers to run, they laugh at a horse and its rider.

19“Job, do you give horses their strength? Do you put flowing manes on their necks?

20Do you make them jump like locusts? They terrify others with their proud snorting.

21They paw the ground wildly. They are filled with joy. They charge at their enemies.

22They laugh at fear. They are not afraid of anything. They do not run away from swords.

23Many arrows rattle at their sides. Flashing spears and javelins are also there.

24They are so excited that they race over the ground. They can’t stand still when trumpets are blown.

25When they hear the trumpets they snort, ‘Aha!’ They catch the smells of battle far away. They hear the shouts of commanders and the battle cries.

26“Job, are you wise enough to teach hawks where to fly? They spread their wings and fly toward the south.

27Do you command eagles to fly so high? They build their nests as high as they can.

28They live on cliffs and stay there at night. High up on the rocks they think they are safe.

29From there they look for their food. They can see it from far away. 30Their little ones like to eat blood. Eagles gather where they see dead bodies.”