⁵ Who hath sent out the wild ass free?
Or who hath loosed the bonds of the swift ass,
⁶ Whose home I have made the wilderness,
And the salt land his dwelling-place?
⁷ He scorneth the tumult of the city,
Neither heareth he the shoutings of the ^[b]driver.
⁸ The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searcheth after every green thing.
⁹ Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee?
Or will he abide by thy crib?
¹⁰ Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow?
Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
¹¹ Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?
Or wilt thou leave to him thy labor?
¹² Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy seed,
And gather the grain of thy threshing-floor?

¹³ The wings of the ostrich wave proudly;
But are they the pinions and plumage of ^[c]love?
¹⁴ For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,
And warmeth them in the dust,
¹⁵ And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,
Or that the wild beast may trample them.
¹⁶ She ^[d]dealeth hardly with her young ones, as if they were not hers:
Though her labor be in vain, she is without fear;
¹⁷ Because God hath ^[e]deprived her of wisdom,
Neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
¹⁸ What time she ^[f]lifteth up herself on high,
She scorneth the horse and his rider.

¹⁹ Hast thou given the horse his might?
Hast thou clothed his neck with the ^[g]quivering mane?
²⁰ Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?
The glory of his snorting is terrible.
^21 [h]He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:
He goeth out to meet ^[i]the armed men.
²² He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed;
Neither turneth he back from the sword.
²³ The quiver rattleth ^[j]against him,
The flashing spear and the javelin.
²⁴ He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;
Neither ^[k]believeth he that it is the voice of the trumpet.
²⁵ As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha!
And he smelleth the battle afar off,
The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

²⁶ Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk soareth,
And stretcheth her wings toward the south?
²⁷ Is it at thy command that the eagle mounteth up,
And maketh her nest on high?
²⁸ On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home,
Upon the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.
²⁹ From thence she spieth out the prey;
Her eyes behold it afar off.
³⁰ Her young ones also suck up blood:
And where the slain are, there is she.