¹

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:

¹

ΕΙ ἔγνως καιρὸν τοκετοῦ τραγελάφων πέτρας, ἐφύλαξας δὲ ὠδῖνας ἐλάφων;

²

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

²

ἠρίθμησας δὲ μῆνας αὐτῶν πλήρεις τοκετοῦ αὐτῶν, ὠδῖνας δὲ αὐτῶν ἔδυσας;

³

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

³

ἐξέθρεψας δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ παιδία ἔξω φόβου; ὠδῖνας δὲ αὐτῶν ἐξαποστελεῖς;

⁴

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

⁴

ἀπορρήξουσι τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν, πληθυνθήσονται ἐν γεννήματι· ἐξελεύσονται, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀνακάμψουσιν αὐτοῖς.

⁵

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

⁵

τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἀφεὶς ὄνον ἄγριον ἐλεύθερον, δεσμοὺς δὲ αὐτοῦ τίς ἔλυσεν;

⁶

whereas I made his habitation the wilderness, and the salt land his coverts.

⁶

ἐθέμην δὲ τὴν δίαιταν αὐτοῦ ἔρημον, καὶ τὰ σκηνώματα αὐτοῦ ἁλμυρίδα·

⁷

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

⁷

καταγελῶν πολυοχλίας πόλεως, μέμψιν δὲ φορολόγου οὐκ ἀκούων,

⁸

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

⁸

κατασκέψεται ὄρη νομὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὀπίσω παντὸς χλωροῦ ζητεῖ.

⁹

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

⁹

βουλήσεται δέ σοι μονόκερως δουλεῦσαι ἢ κοιμηθῆναι ἐπὶ φάτνης σου;

¹⁰

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

¹⁰

δήσεις δὲ ἐν ἱμᾶσι ζυγὸν αὐτοῦ ἢ ἑλκύσει σου αὔλακας ἐν πεδίῳ;

¹¹

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

¹¹

πέποιθας δὲ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ, ὅτι πολλὴ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ, ἐπαφήσεις δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ ἔργα σου;

¹²

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

¹²

πιστεύσεις δὲ ὅτι ἀποδώσει σοι τὸν σπόρον, εἰσοίσει δέ σου τὸν ἅλωνα;

¹³

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

¹³

πτέρυξ τερπομένων νεέλασα, ἐὰν συλλάβῃ ἀσίδα καὶ νέσσα·

¹⁴

for the ostrich will leave her eggs in the ground, and warm them on the dust,

¹⁴

ὅτι ἀφήσει εἰς γῆν τὰ ὠὰ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ χοῦν θάλψει

¹⁵

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

¹⁵

καὶ ἐπελάθετο ὅτι ποὺς σκορπιεῖ καὶ θηρία ἀγροῦ καταπατήσει·

¹⁶

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

¹⁶

ἀπεσκλήρυνε τὰ τέκνα ἑαυτῆς, ὥστε μὴ ἑαυτήν, εἰς κενὸν ἐκοπίασεν ἄνευ φόβου·

¹⁷

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

¹⁷

ὅτι κατεσιώπησεν αὐτῇ ὁ Θεὸς σοφίαν καὶ οὐκ ἐπεμέρισεν αὐτῇ ἐν τῇ συνέσει.

¹⁸

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

¹⁸

κατὰ καιρὸν ἐν ὕψει ὑψώσει, καταγελάσεται ἵππου καὶ τοῦ ἐπιβάτου αὐτοῦ.

¹⁹

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

¹⁹

ἦ σὺ περιέθηκας ἵππῳ δύναμιν, ἐνέδυσας δὲ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ φόβον;

²⁰

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

²⁰

περιέθηκας δὲ αὐτῷ πανοπλίαν, δόξαν δὲ στηθέων αὐτοῦ τόλμῃ;

²¹

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

²¹

ἀνορύσσων ἐν πεδίῳ γαυριᾷ, ἐκπορεύεται δὲ εἰς πεδίον ἐν ἰσχύϊ·

²²

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

²²

συναντῶν βασιλεῖ καταγελᾷ καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ ἀπὸ σιδήρου·

²³

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

²³

ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ γαυριᾷ τόξον καὶ μάχαιρα,

²⁴

and he will not believe until the trumpet sounds.

²⁴

καὶ ὀργῇ ἀφανιεῖ τὴν γῆν καὶ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσει, ἕως ἂν σημάνῃ σάλπιγξ·

²⁵

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

²⁵

σάλπιγγος δὲ σημαινούσης λέγει· εὖγε. πόρρωθεν δὲ ὀσφραίνεται πολέμου σὺν ἅλματι καὶ κραυγῇ.

²⁶

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

²⁶

ἐκ δὲ τῆς σῆς ἐπιστήμης ἕστηκεν ἱέραξ, ἀναπετάσας τὰς πτέρυγας, ἀκίνητος, καθορῶν τὰ πρὸς νότον;

²⁷

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

²⁷

ἐπὶ δὲ σῷ προστάγματι ὑψοῦται ἀετός, γὺψ δὲ ἐπὶ νοσσιᾶς αὐτοῦ καθεσθεὶς αὐλίζεται

²⁸

on a crag of a rock, and in a secret place?

²⁸

ἐπ᾿ ἐξοχῇ πέτρας καὶ ἀποκρύφῳ;

²⁹

Thence he seeks food, his eyes observe from far.

²⁹

ἐκεῖσε ὢν ζητεῖ τὰ σῖτα, πόρρωθεν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ σκοπεύουσι·

³⁰

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

³⁰

νεοσσοὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ φύρονται ἐν αἵματι, οὗ δ᾿ ἂν ὦσι τεθνεῶτες, παραχρῆμα εὑρίσκονται.