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Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?

⁶Whose house I have made the wilderness,

And the salt land his dwelling-place.

⁷He scorneth the tumult of the city,

Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver.

⁸The range of the mountains is his pasture,

And he searcheth after every green thing.

 

⁹Will the wild-ox be willing to serve thee?

Or will he abide by thy crib?

¹⁰Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow?

Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?

¹¹Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?

Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?

¹²Wilt thou rely on him, that he will bring home thy seed,

And gather the corn of thy threshing-floor?

 

¹³The wing of the ostrich beateth joyously;

But are her pinions and feathers the kindly stork's?

¹⁴For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,

And warmeth them in dust,

¹⁵And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,

Or that the wild beast may trample them.

¹⁶She is hardened against her young ones, as if they were not hers;

Though her labour be in vain, she is without fear;

¹⁷Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,

Neither hath He imparted to her understanding.

¹⁸When the time cometh, she raiseth her wings on high,

And scorneth the horse and his rider.

 

¹⁹Hast thou given the horse his strength?

Hast thou clothed his neck with fierceness?

²⁰Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?

The glory of his snorting is terrible.

²¹He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength;

He goeth out to meet the clash of arms.

²²He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted;

Neither turneth he back from the sword.

²³The quiver rattleth upon him,

The glittering spear and the javelin.

²⁴He swalloweth the ground with storm and rage;

Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the horn.

²⁵As 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.

 

²⁶Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom,

And stretch her wings toward the south?

²⁷Doth the vulture mount up at thy command,

And make her nest on high?

²⁸She dwelleth and abideth on the rock,

Upon the crag of the rock, and the stronghold.

²⁹From thence she spieth out the prey;

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