King James Version KJV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
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"Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you seen deer in labor?
2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
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Can you tell how many months they carry their young? Do you know when they give birth,
3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.
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when they crouch down and bring forth their young, when they deliver their fawns?
4 Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.
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Their young become strong, growing up in the open; they leave and never return.
5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?
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"Who lets the wild donkey roam freely? Who sets the wild donkey loose from its shackles?
6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.
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I made the 'Aravah its home, the salty desert its place to live.
7 He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.
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It scorns the noise of the city and hears no driver's shouts.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.
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It ranges over the hills for its pasture, searching for anything green.
9 Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?
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"Would a wild ox be willing to serve you? Would it stay by your stall?
10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
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Could you tie a rope around its neck and make it plow furrows for you?
11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?
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Would you trust its great strength enough to let it do your heavy work,
12 Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?
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or rely on it to bring home your seed and gather the grain from your threshing-floor?
13 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
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"An ostrich's wings beat wildly, although its pinions lack plumage.
14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,
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It leaves its eggs on the ground and lets them be warmed by the sand,
15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.
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forgetting that a foot may crush them or a wild animal trample on them.
16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;
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It treats its chicks heartlessly, as if they were not its own; even if her labor is in vain, it really doesn't care;
17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
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because God has deprived it of wisdom and given it no share in understanding.
18 What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.
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When the time comes, it flaps its wings, scorning both horse and rider.
19 Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
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"Did you give the horse its strength? Did you clothe its neck with a mane?
20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
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Did you make him able to leap like a locust? Its majestic snorting is frightening!
21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
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It paws with force and exults with vigor, then charges into the battle;
22 He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.
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mocking at fear, unafraid, it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.
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The [rider's] quiver rattles over it, [his] gleaming spear and javelin.
24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
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Frenzied and eager, it devours the ground, scarcely believing the shofar has sounded.
25 He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
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At the sound of the shofar it whinnies; as from afar it scents the battle, the roar of the chiefs and the shouting.
26 Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?
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"Is it your wisdom that sets the hawk soaring, spreading its wings toward the south?
27 Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?
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Does the eagle fly up when you say so, to build its nest in the heights?
28 She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.
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It lives and spends its nights on the cliffs; a rocky crag is its fortress.
29 From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
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From there it spots its prey, its eyes see it far off.
30 Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.
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Its young ones suck up blood; wherever the slain are, there it is."
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.