Super hoc expavit cor meum, et emotum est de loco suo.

What wonder if my heart trembles and fails me at the thought?

At this my heart trembleth, and is moved out of its place.

Audite auditionem in terrore vocis ejus, et sonum de ore illius procedentem.

Listen to the bruit of it, the voice that speaks amid such terrors, the dread accents of that utterance!

Hear ye attentively the terror of his voice, and the sound that cometh out of his mouth.

Subter omnes cælos ipse considerat, et lumen illius super terminos terræ.

Under what part of heaven, into what corner of earth does he not look, do not his lightnings flash?

He beholdeth under all the heavens, and his light is upon the ends of the earth.

Post eum rugiet sonitus; tonabit voce magnitudinis suæ: et non investigabitur, cum audita fuerit vox ejus.

Then what a crash resounds, the magnificent peal of his thunder; a voice heard, and none can tell whence it comes!

After it a noise shall roar, he shall thunder with the voice of his majesty, and shall not be found out, when his voice shall be heard.

Tonabit Deus in voce sua mirabiliter, qui facit magna et inscrutabilia;

God’s voice in the thunder, a marvel worthy of him, whose deeds are so great and so unsearchable.

God shall thunder wonderfully with his voice, he that doth great and unsearchable things.

qui præcipit nivi ut descendat in terram, et hiemis pluviis, et imbri fortitudinis suæ;

He it is that bids the snows fall over earth, and winter shower, and his fierce storms of rain.

He commandeth the snow to go down upon the earth, and the winter rain, and the shower of his strength.

qui in manu omnium hominum signat, ut noverint singuli opera sua.

No hand of man but is shut up close now under his seal, that owns him Master-workman of all;

He sealeth up the hand of all men, that every one may know his works.

Ingredietur bestia latibulum, et in antro suo morabitur.

cowers the beast in its lair, or lurks in its cave;

Then the beast shall go into his covert, and shall abide in his den.

Ab interioribus egredietur tempestas, et ab Arcturo frigus.

from his treasure-house in the north, tempest comes and cold.

Out of the inner parts shall a tempest come, and cold out of the north.

Flante Deo, concrescit gelu, et rursum latissimæ funduntur aquæ.

At God’s breath the frost binds fast, till he bids the waters flow again in plenty.

When God bloweth there cometh frost, and again the waters are poured out abundantly.

Frumentum desiderat nubes, et nubes spargunt lumen suum.

And now the crops must have rain; far and wide the clouds scatter their rays of hope;

Corn desireth clouds, and the clouds spread their light:

Quæ lustrant per circuitum, quocumque eas voluntas gubernantis duxerit, ad omne quod præceperit illis super faciem orbis terrarum:

this way and that they turn at the guidance of his will, to do their appointed task on earth,

Which go round about, whithersoever the will of him that governeth them shall lead them, to whatsoever he shall command them upon the face of the whole earth:

sive in una tribu, sive in terra sua, sive in quocumque loco misericordiæ suæ eas jusserit inveniri.

among distant tribes, or here in his own land, let his mercy bid them appear where it may.

Whether in one tribe, or in his own land, or in what place soever of his mercy he shall command them to be found.

Ausculta hæc, Job: sta, et considera mirabilia Dei.

Matter enough, Job, for thy heeding! Halt where thou standest, and consider the marvellous acts of God.

Hearken to these things, Job: Stand, and consider the wondrous works of God.

Numquid scis quando præceperit Deus pluviis, ut ostenderent lucem nubium ejus?

Canst thou tell us when it was God bade the rain bring hope to us from those clouds of his,

Dost thou know when God commanded the rains, to shew his light of his clouds?

Numquid nosti semitas nubium magnas, et perfectas scientias?

tell us the course of their journeyings? Is thy knowledge so perfect?

Knowest thou the great paths of the clouds, and the perfect knowledges?

Nonne vestimenta tua calida sunt, cum perflata fuerit terra austro?

See if thy garments do not cling warm about thee when the south wind cheers the earth!

Are not thy garments hot, when the south wind blows upon the earth?

Tu forsitan cum eo fabricatus es cælos, qui solidissimi quasi ære fusi sunt.

And was it with help of thine God fashioned the heavens, firm as cast bronze?

Thou perhaps hast made the heavens with him, which are most strong, as if they were of molten brass.

Ostende nobis quid dicamus illi: nos quippe involvimur tenebris.

Tell us, what words we shall use to him, we, shut up in our darkness?

Shew us what we may say to him: for we are wrapped up in darkness.

Quis narrabit ei quæ loquor? etiam si locutus fuerit homo, devorabitur.

What messenger shall deliver my complaint to him, a human messenger that will bring on himself only ruin?

Who shall tell him the things I speak? even if a man shall speak, he shall be swallowed up.

At nunc non vident lucem: subito aër cogetur in nubes, et ventus transiens fugabit eas.

Light fails men’s eyes; all of a sudden, the air is thick with clouds; then a breath of passing wind has driven them away!

But now they see not the light: the air on a sudden shall be thickened into clouds, and the wind shall pass and drive them away.

Ab aquilone aurum venit, et ad Deum formidolosa laudatio.

As well search for the treasures of the north, as for the majestic praise which is God’s due;

Cold cometh out of the north, and to God praise with fear.

Digne eum invenire non possumus: magnus fortitudine, et judicio, et justitia: et enarrari non potest.

find speech worthy of it we cannot, so great he is in strength, so prudent in counsel, so faithful in right dealing, past all that tongue can tell.

We cannot find him worthily: he is great in strength, and in judgment, and in justice, and he is ineffable.

Ideo timebunt eum viri, et non audebunt contemplari omnes qui sibi videntur esse sapientes.

Well may men fear him; none that think themselves wise but will tremble to meet his look.

Therefore men shall fear him, and all that seem to themselves to be wise, shall not dare to behold him.