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1 “The thunder and lightning frighten me;
my heart pounds in my chest.
2 Listen to God’s thundering voice!
Listen to the sound coming from his mouth.
3 He sends his lightning to flash across the whole sky.
It lights up the earth from one end to the other.
4 After the flashes of lightning you can hear his roaring voice.
He thunders with his wonderful voice!
And while his voice thunders, the lightning flashes continue.
5 God’s thundering voice is amazing!
He does great things that we cannot understand.
6 He says to the snow,
‘Fall on the earth.’
And he says to the rain,
‘Pour down on the earth.’
7 God does this to stop everyone’s work
and to show the people he made what he can do.
8 The animals run into their dens and stay there.
9 Whirlwinds come from the south.
The cold winds come from the north.
10 God’s breath makes ice
and freezes even large bodies of water.
11 He fills the clouds with water
and scatters his lightning through them.
12 He orders the clouds to be blown all around the earth.
The clouds do whatever he commands.
13 He causes the clouds to punish people with floods
or to water his earth and show his love.
14 “Job, stop for a minute and listen.
Think about the wonderful things God does.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds?
Do you know how he makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the clouds hang in the sky?
This is just one of the amazing works of the one who knows everything.
17 All you know is that you sweat, your clothes stick to you,
and all is still and quiet when the heat wave comes from the south.
18 Can you help God spread out the sky
and make it shine like polished brass?
19 “Job, tell us what we should say to God!
We cannot think of what to say because of our ignorance.* We cannot … ignorance Literally, “We cannot arrange our thoughts because of the darkness.”
20 I would not tell God that I wanted to talk to him.
That would be like asking to be destroyed.
21 A person cannot look at the sun.
It is too bright as it shines in the sky after the wind blows the clouds away.
22 In the same way God’s golden glory shines from the Holy Mountain.† Holy Mountain Or “the north” or “Zaphon.”
He is surrounded by the brightest light.
23 We have seen that God All-Powerful really is all powerful!
But he is just and never treats anyone unfairly.‡ But he … unfairly Or “He does not answer us when we try to sue him for justice.”
24 That is why people fear and respect him.
He shows no respect for those who think they are wise.”