whose heart did not bless me as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,

“If I have put my confidence in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security!’

if I looked at the sun when it was shining, and the moon advancing as a precious thing,

If I have rejoiced over the misfortune of my enemy or exulted because calamity found him –

if I have covered my transgressions as men do, by hiding iniquity in my heart,

Surely I would wear it proudly on my shoulder, I would bind it on me like a crown;

“If my land cried out against me and all its furrows wept together,

if I have eaten its produce without paying, or caused the death of its owners,

If you have any words, reply to me; speak, for I want to justify you.

If not, you listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

If God were to set his heart on it, and gather in his spirit and his breath,

If they obey and serve him, they live out their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness.

Who can understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion?

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding!

Have you considered the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know it all!

Do you know the laws of the heavens, or can you set up their rule over the earth?

Is the wild ox willing to be your servant? Will it spend the night at your feeding trough?

Can you bind the wild ox to a furrow with its rope, will it till the valleys, following after you?

“The wings of the ostrich flap with joy, but are they the pinions and plumage of a stork?

Is it at your command that the eagle soars, and builds its nest on high?