Knowst thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?

Do you know the time that the wild mountain goats give birth? Do you wait upon the birth pangs of the hinds?

canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowst thou the time when they bring forth?

Do you count when their months will be full? Do you know when they will give birth?

They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they send forth their offspring.

They crouch and "split out" their young [i.e., their womb splits and their young are ejected], and [at that moment] they "send forth" [i.e., they banish] their birth pangs.

Their young ones grow strong; they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not to them.

Their children grow strong. They grow up in the wilderness. They leave [their parents] and do not return to them.

Who has sent out the wild ass free? or who has loosed the bands of the onager?

Who set the wild ass free [(resisting bridling)], and who undid the traces of the ass of the desert,

whose house I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwellings.

whose home I made the wilderness, and whose abode, the desert wastes?

He scorns the tumult of the city, nor does he regard the shouts of the driver.

He laughs at the roar of the city. He does not hear the shouts of the driver.

The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.

He spies out the mountains for his pasture land and inquires after all greenery.

Will the wild ox be willing to serve thee, or will he abide by thy crib?

Will the wild ox desire to serve you? Will he frequent your manger?

canst thou bind the wild ox with ropes in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?

Will you tie the wild ox [by] his rope to the furrow [(of the plow)]? Will he till valleys after you?

wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?

Will you trust to him [to gather your grain] because his power is great and leave [(the fruit of)] your toil to him [(to be gathered to the house)]?

wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?

Will you trust him to return your seed and to gather in [the grain of] your threshing floor?

The wing of the ostrich waves joyously; but are they the pinions and plumage of the stork?

The joyous peacock, or the winged chasidah, or the notzah [— observe her ways]:

For she leaves her eggs in the earth, and warms them in dust,

She leaves her eggs on the ground and [goes off] to warm herself on the earth,

and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.

forgetting that the foot [of the wayfarer] can squash them and the beast of the field crush them.

She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: though her labour is in vain of yet she is without fear;

She spurns her children [as if] they were not hers, not fearing that she has labored in vain [(and will lose them)].

because God has deprived her of wisdom, nor has he imparted to her understanding.

For G d has made her forget wisdom and has given her no share in understanding.

At some time she lifts up herself on high; she scorns the horse and his rider.

When she soars to the heights, she laughs at the horse and its rider [(not fearing that they will crush her eggs)].

Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with power?

Did you give courage to the horse? Did you clothe his neck with rumbling [(the "commotion" of his mane)]?

Dost thou make him leap like a locust? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.

Did you [rouse him] like a locust din, the "glory" of his nostrils [inspiring] fright?

He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength: he goes out to meet the battle.

They [(his riders)] spy out the valley, and he revels in [his] strength and goes out against arms.

He mocks at fear, and is not affrighted; nor does he turn back from the sword.

He laughs at fear and does not tremble, and he does not turn back from the sword.

The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear and the javelin.

The quiver [(full of rattling arrows)] "sings" upon him, the spear-blade, and the javelin.

He swallows the ground with fierceness and rage: nor does he believe that it is the sound of the trumpet.

With sound and fury he laps up the land and pays no heed to the shofar's blast.

He says among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

In the midst of the shofar din he cries out [(exultingly)]: "Heach!" and he smells battle from afar — the roar of the warriors and the shofar blast.

Does the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings towards the south?

Is it with your understanding that Netz [(a hawk-like angel)] sprouts wings against the south [wind (whose fury would otherwise destroy the world)]?

does the vulture mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?

Is it at your word that the eagle soars aloft and that he lifts his nest [above all others]?

She dwells and abides on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.

He dwells and abides on the rock, on the crags of rocks and towers.

From thence she swoops down on the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.

From there he scouts out food, his eyes ranging far.

Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.

And his fledglings will gulp down blood; and where carcasses are, there he is.