Textorah

Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?

[Say] if thou knowest the time of the bringing forth of the wild goats of the rock, And [if] thou hast marked the calving of the hinds:

Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?

And [if] thou hast numbered the full months of their being with young, And [if] thou hast relieved their pangs:

They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, they cast out their fruit.

And hast reared their young without fear; And wilt thou loosen their pangs?

Their young ones wax strong, they grow up in the open field; they go forth, and return not again.

Their young will break forth; they will be multiplied with offspring: [Their young] will go forth, and will not return to them.

Who hath sent out the wild ass free? Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?

And who is he that sent forth the wild ass free? And who loosed his bands?

Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling-place.

Whereas I made his habitation the wilderness, And the salt land his coverts.

He scorneth the tumult of the city, neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver.

He laughs to scorn the multitude of the city, And hears not the chiding of the tax gatherer.

The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.

He will survey the mountains [as] his pasture, And he seeks after every green thing.

Will the wild-ox be willing to serve thee? Or will he abide by thy crib?

And will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, Or to lie down at thy manger?

Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow? Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?

And wilt thou bind his yoke with thongs, Or will he plow furrows for thee in the plain?

Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?

And dost thou trust him, because his strength is great? And wilt thou commit thy works to him?

Wilt thou rely on him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather the corn of thy threshing-floor?

And wilt thou believe that he will return to thee thy seed, And bring [it] in [to] thy threshing floor?

The wing of the ostrich beateth joyously; but are her pinions and feathers the kindly stork's?

The peacock has a beautiful wing: If the stork and the ostrich conceive, [it is worthy of notice],

For she leaveth her eggs on the earth, and warmeth them in dust,

For [the ostrich] will leave her eggs in the ground, And warm them on the dust,

And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may trample them.

And has forgotten that the foot will scatter them, And the wild beasts of the field trample them.

She is hardened against her young ones, as if they were not hers; though her labour be in vain, she is without fear;

She has hardened [herself] against her young ones, as though [she bereaved] not herself: She labors in vain without fear.

Because G-d hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath He imparted to her understanding.

For God has withholden wisdom from her, And not given her a portion in understanding.

When the time cometh, she raiseth her wings on high, and scorneth the horse and his rider.

In her season she will lift herself on high; She will scorn the horse and his rider.

Hast thou given the horse his strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with fierceness?

Hast thou invested the horse with strength, And clothed his neck with terror?

Hast thou made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is terrible.

And hast thou clad him in perfect armor, And made his breast glorious with courage?

He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength; he goeth out to meet the clash of arms.

He paws exulting in the plain, And goes forth in strength into the plain.

He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.

He laughs to scorn a king as he meets him, And will by no means turn back from the sword.

The quiver rattleth upon him, the glittering spear and the javelin.

He swalloweth the ground with storm and rage; neither believeth he that it is the voice of the horn.

The bow and sword resound against him; And [his] rage will swallow up the ground:

And he will not believe until the trumpet sounds.

As oft as he heareth the horn he saith: 'Ha, ha!' and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

And when the trumpet sounds, he says, Aha! And afar off he smells the war with prancing and neighing.

Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?

And does the hawk remain steady by thy wisdom, Having spread out her wings unmoved, looking toward the region of the south?

Doth the vulture mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?

And does the eagle rise at thy command, And the vulture remain sitting over his nest,

She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the stronghold.

On a crag of a rock, and in a secret [place]?

From thence she spieth out the prey; her eyes behold it afar off.

Thence he seeks food, His eyes observe from far.

Her young ones also suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is she.

And his young ones roll themselves in blood, And wherever the carcasses may be, immediately they are found.