can you help God spread out the skies
as hard as a cast metal mirror?

My heart pounds at this
and leaps from my chest.

Listen to this, Job.
Stop and consider God’s wonders.

Do you understand how the clouds float,
those wonderful works of Him who has perfect knowledge?

Yet out of the north He comes, shrouded in a golden glow;
awesome majesty surrounds Him.

God thunders marvelously with His voice;
He does great things that we cannot comprehend.

The Almighty—we cannot reach Him—
He is exalted in power!
He will not oppress justice and abundant righteousness,

serve as His sign to all mankind,
so that all men may know His work.

Just listen to His thunderous voice
and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.

The windstorm comes from its chamber,
and the cold from the driving north winds.

Ice is formed by the breath of God,
and watery expanses are frozen.

For He says to the snow, “Fall to the earth,”
and the torrential rains, His mighty torrential rains,

He lets it loose beneath the entire sky;
His lightning to the ends of the earth.

He causes this to happen for punishment,
for His land, or for His faithful love.

They swirl about,
turning round and round at His direction,
accomplishing everything He commands them
over the surface of the inhabited world.

He saturates clouds with moisture;
He scatters His lightning through them.

Therefore, men fear Him.
He does not look favorably on any who are wise in heart.

Now men cannot even look at the sun
when it is in the skies,
after a wind has swept through and cleared them away.

Then there comes a roaring sound;
God thunders with His majestic voice.
He does not restrain the lightning
when His rumbling voice is heard.

You whose clothes get hot
when the south wind brings calm to the land,

The wild animals enter their lairs
and stay in their dens.

Do you know how God directs His clouds
or makes their lightning flash?

Should He be told that I want to speak?
Can a man speak when he is confused?

Teach us what we should say to Him;
we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness.