JOB 12:7 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ἀλλὰ δὴ ἐρώτησον τετράποδα ἐάν σοι εἴπωσι, πετεινὰ δὲ οὐρανοῦ ἐάν σοι ἀπαγγείλωσιν.
(Alla daʸ erōtaʸson tetrapoda ean soi eipōsi, peteina de ouranou ean soi apangeilōsin. )

BrTr But ask now the beasts, if they may speak to thee; and the birds of the air, if they may declare to thee.

ULT But now ask the beasts, and one will teach you,
⇔ the birds of the heavens, and one will declare to you.

UST But if the wild animals could speak,
⇔ and if you asked them what they know about God,
⇔ they would tell you that God is responsible when someone suffers as I am suffering.
⇔ If the birds could speak,
⇔ and if you asked them the same question,
⇔ they would tell you the same thing.

BSB ⇔ But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;
⇔ ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.

OEB But inquire of the beasts – they will teach thee;
⇔ The birds of the air – they will show thee:

WEBBE ⇔ “But ask the animals now, and they will teach you;
⇔ the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET “But now, ask the animals and they will teach you,
⇔ or the birds of the sky and they will tell you.

LSV And yet, now ask [one of] the beasts,
And it shows you,
And a bird of the heavens,
And it declares to you.

FBV But if you ask the animals they will teach you, the birds in the sky will tell you;

T4T ⇔ “But ask the wild animals what they know about God,
⇔ and if they could speak they would teach you.
⇔ If you could ask the birds,
⇔ they would tell you.

LEB • [fn] ask[fn] the animals, and they will teach you, and the birds of the heaven, and they will tell you;

12:1 Hebrew “And”

12:1 Or “ask now,” or “please ask”

BBE But put now a question to the beasts, and get teaching from them; or to the birds of the heaven, and they will make it clear to you;

Moff No Moff JOB book available

JPS But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee;

ASV ⇔ But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
⇔ And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:

DRA But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee: and the birds of the air, and they shall tell thee.

YLT And yet, ask, I pray thee, [One of] the beasts, and it doth shew thee, And a fowl of the heavens, And it doth declare to thee.

Drby But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowl of the heavens, and they shall tell thee;

RV But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

Wbstr But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

KJB-1769 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
(But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee/you; and the fowls/birds of the air, and they shall tell thee/you: )

KJB-1611 But aske now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the foules of the aire, and they shall tell thee.
(But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee/you; and the fowls/birds of the aire, and they shall tell thee/you.)

Bshps Aske the cattaile, and they shall enfourme thee: the foules of the ayre, and they shall tell thee.
(Ask the cattle, and they shall enfourme thee/you: the fowls/birds of the ayre, and they shall tell thee/you.)

Gnva Aske now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, and the foules of the heauen, and they shall tell thee:
(Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee/you, and the fowls/birds of the heaven, and they shall tell thee/you: )

Cvdl Axe the catell, & they shal enfourme the: the foules of the ayre, and they shall tell ye:
(Axe the cattle, and they shall enfourme them: the fowls/birds of the ayre, and they shall tell ye/you_all:)

Wycl No wondur, ax thou beestis, and tho schulen teche thee; and axe thou volatilis of the eir, and tho schulen schewe to thee.
(No wondur, ax thou/you beasts/animals, and those should teach thee/you; and axe thou/you volatilis of the eir, and those should show to thee/you.)

Luth Frage doch das Vieh, das wird dich‘s lehren, und die Vögel unter dem Himmel, die werden dir‘s sagen.
(Frage though/but the Vieh, the becomes dich‘s lehren, and the Vögel under to_him heaven, the become dir‘s say.)

ClVg Nimirum interroga jumenta, et docebunt te; et volatilia cæli, et indicabunt tibi.
(Nimirum interroga yumenta, and docebunt te; and volatilia heavens, and indicabunt tibi. )

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative

וְֽ⁠אוּלָ֗ם שְׁאַל־נָ֣א בְהֵמ֣וֹת וְ⁠תֹרֶ֑⁠ךָּ וְ⁠ע֥וֹף הַ֝⁠שָּׁמַ֗יִם וְ⁠יַגֶּד־לָֽ⁠ךְ

and,but ask now animals and,teach,you and=bird the=heavens and,tell to/for=you(fs)

Job is using an imperative sentence to tell the condition under which something would happen. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could translate this as a conditional sentence. Alternate translation: “But now if you asked the beasts, one of them would teach you, and if you asked the birds of the heavens, one of them would declare to you”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

וְֽ⁠אוּלָ֗ם שְׁאַל־נָ֣א בְהֵמ֣וֹת וְ⁠תֹרֶ֑⁠ךָּ וְ⁠ע֥וֹף הַ֝⁠שָּׁמַ֗יִם וְ⁠יַגֶּד־לָֽ⁠ךְ

and,but ask now animals and,teach,you and=bird the=heavens and,tell to/for=you(fs)

Job is speaking as if Zophar could literally have a conversation with beasts and birds. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “If you actually could ask the beasts, one of them would teach you, and if you actually could ask the birds of the heavens, one of them would declare to you”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular

וְֽ⁠אוּלָ֗ם שְׁאַל־נָ֣א

and,but ask now

The pronoun you and the implied “you” in the imperative verb (ask) are singular here and in the next verse because Job is speaking directly to one of his friends. So use the singular form in your translation if your language marks that distinction. Job is probably addressing Zophar, since he said in 11:8–9 that Job could search through all of creation and still not comprehend the wisdom of God. Job is saying in response that God’s ways are common knowledge to animals and birds. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that in your translation. Alternate translation: “But now, Zophar, ask”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠תֹרֶ֑⁠ךָּ & וְ⁠יַגֶּד־לָֽ⁠ךְ

and,teach,you & and,tell to/for=you(fs)

Job means implicitly that the beasts and birds would teach and declare God’s ways. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and one of them will teach you God’s ways … and one of them will declare God’s ways to you”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וְ⁠ע֥וֹף הַ֝⁠שָּׁמַ֗יִם

and=bird the=heavens

Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “ask the birds of the heavens”

Parallel JOB 12:7