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Job chapter 38 in Hebrew and English

41 verses, about 3 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

וַיַּעַן־יְהוָה אֶת־אִיּוֹב מִן הַסְּעָרָה וַיֹּאמַֽר׃

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

מִי זֶה מַחְשִׁיךְ עֵצָה בְמִלִּין בְּֽלִי־דָֽעַת׃

Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge?

אֱזָר־נָא כְגֶבֶר חֲלָצֶיךָ וְאֶשְׁאָלְךָ וְהוֹדִיעֵֽנִי׃

Gird up now thy loins like a man; For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto Me.

אֵיפֹה הָיִיתָ בְּיָסְדִי־אָרֶץ הַגֵּד אִם־יָדַעְתָּ בִינָֽה׃

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast the understanding.

מִי־שָׂם מְמַדֶּיהָ כִּי תֵדָע אוֹ מִי־נָטָה עָלֶיהָ קָּֽו׃

Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it?

עַל־מָה אֲדָנֶיהָ הָטְבָּעוּ אוֹ מִי־יָרָה אֶבֶן פִּנָּתָֽהּ׃

Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof,

בְּרָן־יַחַד כּוֹכְבֵי בֹקֶר וַיָּרִיעוּ כָּל־בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים׃

When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

וַיָּסֶךְ בִּדְלָתַיִם יָם בְּגִיחוֹ מֵרֶחֶם יֵצֵֽא׃

Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it broke forth, and issued out of the womb;

בְּשׂוּמִי עָנָן לְבֻשׁוֹ וַעֲרָפֶל חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃

When I made the cloud the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

וָאֶשְׁבֹּר עָלָיו חֻקִּי וָאָשִׂים בְּרִיחַ וּדְלָתָֽיִם׃

And prescribed for it My decree, And set bars and doors,

וָאֹמַר עַד־פֹּה תָבוֹא וְלֹא תֹסִיף וּפֹא־יָשִׁית בִּגְאוֹן גַּלֶּֽיךָ׃

And said: ‘Thus far shalt thou come, but no further; And here shall thy proud waves be stayed’?

הְמִיָּמֶיךָ צִוִּיתָ בֹּקֶר יִדַּעְתָּה הַשַּׁחַר מְקֹמֽוֹ׃

Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, And caused the dayspring to know its place;

לֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ וְיִנָּעֲרוּ רְשָׁעִים מִמֶּֽנָּה׃

That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?

תִּתְהַפֵּךְ כְּחֹמֶר חוֹתָם וְיִתְיַצְּבוּ כְּמוֹ לְבֽוּשׁ׃

It is changed as clay under the seal; And they stand as a garment.

וְיִמָּנַע מֵרְשָׁעִים אוֹרָם וּזְרוֹעַ רָמָה תִּשָּׁבֵֽר׃

But from the wicked their light is withholden, And the high arm is broken.

הֲבָאתָ עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָם וּבְחֵקֶר תְּהוֹם הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ׃

Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? .

הֲנִגְלוּ לְךָ שַׁעֲרֵי־מָוֶת וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָּוֶת תִּרְאֶֽה׃

Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?

הִתְבֹּנַנְתָּ עַד־רַחֲבֵי־אָרֶץ הַגֵּד אִם־יָדַעְתָּ כֻלָּֽהּ׃

Hast thou surveyed unto the breadths of the earth? Declare, if thou knowest it all.

אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ יִשְׁכָּן־אוֹר וְחֹשֶׁךְ אֵי־זֶה מְקֹמֽוֹ׃

Where is the way to the dwelling of light, And as for darkness, where is the place thereof;

כִּי תִקָּחֶנּוּ אֶל־גְּבוּלוֹ וְכִי־תָבִין נְתִיבוֹת בֵּיתֽוֹ׃

That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, And that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

יָדַעְתָּ כִּי־אָז תִּוָּלֵד וּמִסְפַּר יָמֶיךָ רַבִּֽים׃

Thou knowest it, for thou wast then born, And the number of thy days is great!

הֲבָאתָ אֶל־אֹצְרוֹת שָׁלֶג וְאֹצְרוֹת בָּרָד תִּרְאֶֽה׃

Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail,

אֲשֶׁר־חָשַׂכְתִּי לְעֶת־צָר לְיוֹם קְרָב וּמִלְחָמָֽה׃

Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, Against the day of battle and war?

אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵחָלֶק אוֹר יָפֵץ קָדִים עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃

By what way is the light parted, Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?

מִי־פִלַּג לַשֶּׁטֶף תְּעָלָה וְדֶרֶךְ לַחֲזִיז קֹלֽוֹת׃

Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood, Or a way for the lightning of the thunder;

לְהַמְטִיר עַל־אֶרֶץ לֹא־אִישׁ מִדְבָּר לֹא־אָדָם בּֽוֹ׃

To cause it to rain on a land where no man is, On the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

לְהַשְׂבִּיעַ שֹׁאָה וּמְשֹׁאָה וּלְהַצְמִיחַ מֹצָא דֶֽשֶׁא׃

To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, And to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

הֲיֵשׁ־לַמָּטָר אָב אוֹ מִי־הוֹלִיד אֶגְלֵי־טָֽל׃

Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

מִבֶּטֶן מִי יָצָא הַקָּרַח וּכְפֹר שָׁמַיִם מִי יְלָדֽוֹ׃

Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoar-frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

כָּאֶבֶן מַיִם יִתְחַבָּאוּ וּפְנֵי תְהוֹם יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ׃

The waters are congealed like stone, And the face of the deep is frozen.

הַתְקַשֵּׁר מַעֲדַנּוֹת כִּימָה אוֹ־מֹשְׁכוֹת כְּסִיל תְּפַתֵּֽחַ׃

Canst thou bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the bands of Orion?

הֲתֹצִיא מַזָּרוֹת בְּעִתּוֹ וְעַיִשׁ עַל־בָּנֶיהָ תַנְחֵֽם׃

Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? Or canst thou guide the Bear with her sons?

הֲיָדַעְתָּ חֻקּוֹת שָׁמָיִם אִם־תָּשִׂים מִשְׁטָרוֹ בָאָֽרֶץ׃

Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?

הֲתָרִים לָעָב קוֹלֶךָ וְשִׁפְעַת־מַיִם תְּכַסֶּֽךָּ׃

Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, That abundance of waters may cover thee?

הַתְשַׁלַּח בְּרָקִים וְיֵלֵכוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ לְךָ הִנֵּֽנוּ׃

Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, And say unto thee: ‘Here we are’?

מִי־שָׁת בַּטֻּחוֹת חָכְמָה אוֹ מִי־נָתַן לַשֶּׂכְוִי בִינָֽה׃

Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who hath given understanding to the mind?

מִי־יְסַפֵּר שְׁחָקִים בְּחָכְמָה וְנִבְלֵי שָׁמַיִם מִי יַשְׁכִּֽיב׃

Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

בְּצֶקֶת עָפָר לַמּוּצָק וּרְגָבִים יְדֻבָּֽקוּ׃

When the dust runneth into a mass, And the clods cleave fast together?

הֲתָצוּד לְלָבִיא טָרֶף וְחַיַּת כְּפִירִים תְּמַלֵּֽא׃

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness? Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

כִּי־יָשֹׁחוּ בַמְּעוֹנוֹת יֵשְׁבוּ בַסֻּכָּה לְמוֹ־אָֽרֶב׃

When they couch in their dens, And abide in the covert to lie in wait?

מִי יָכִין לָעֹרֵב צֵידוֹ כִּי־יְלָדָיו אֶל־אֵל יְשַׁוֵּעוּ יִתְעוּ לִבְלִי־אֹֽכֶל׃

Who provideth for the raven his prey, When his young ones cry unto God, and wander for lack of food?

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 38 of the 42 chapters of Job
  • Job is one of the Writings
  • 41 verses, 299 words, about 3 minutes to read

Job has 42 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Job·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Job chapter 38 have?

Job chapter 38 has 41 verses and 299 words.

How does Job chapter 38 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words ויען־ה׳ את־איוב מן הסערה.

Where does Job chapter 38 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 38 of the 42 chapters of Job, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Job chapter 38?

About 3 minutes, at a steady pace.