Job 37

‘When I hear the thunder, my heart trembles,

and when I see the storm, I become afraid.

₂Listen, thunder is the voice of God.

The roaring comes from his mouth.

₃He sends lightning all over the sky,

and it strikes at places very far on earth.

₄And then his voice roars.

When God speaks, his voice thunders

and shows his glory.

He keeps on sending lightning

while He speaks.

₅God does wonderful things

when his voice roars.

He does great things that we don't understand.

₆He tells the snow: “Fall onto the earth.”

He tells the rain:

“Water the ground and make it wet.”

₇He makes all the people stop working

so that they can see what He is doing.

₈The animals lie down

and stay in their homes.

₉The storm winds come from the south

and the cold winds come from the north.

₁₀The cold wind from God

makes the water freeze,

and everything becomes ice.

₁₁God makes the clouds full of water,

and lightning strikes in the clouds.

₁₂He tells the clouds where to go

and they go anywhere on earth

where He says they must go.

₁₃God sends storms to punish people

or to water the earth

and to show his love.

₁₄Job, you must listen to what I am saying.

Stop and look at all of God's miracles.

₁₅Do you know how God does it all?

Do you know how He controls

the clouds and the lightning?

₁₆Do you know how the clouds

hang in the sky?

It is God who makes all these things happen.

God does it, He who knows everything.

₁₇Job, your clothes become very hot

when the hot southern wind blows.

₁₈You can not do what God has done

and make an expanse over the earth,

an expanse that is as hard

as a mirror made of metal.

₁₉Do you think that you can teach us

what we must say to God?

We do not know what to say to Him,

and we don't have the right words.

₂₀Do you think that I can tell God

that I want to speak to Him?

No, I don't want Him to kill me.

₂₁People can not look at the sun

when the wind has blown the clouds away.

₂₂God comes from the north,

and He is shining like gold, and He is so bright

that his glory is too much

for us and we fear.

₂₃The Almighty God is too great

for us to come near Him.

He is always right and fair

and He never oppresses anyone.

₂₄That is why all people are afraid of Him.

He does not respect people

who think that they are wise

but have no wisdom.’