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Genesis 1:20-25
Then God said,“ Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds. He also created every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.God blessed them:“ Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.Then God said,“ Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
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Psalms 148:10
wild animals and all cattle, creatures that crawl and flying birds,
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Job 38:39-39:30
Can you hunt prey for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of young lionswhen they crouch in their dens and lie in wait within their lairs?Who provides the raven’s food when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the deer in labor?Can you count the months they are pregnant so you can know the time they give birth?They crouch down to give birth to their young; they deliver their newborn.Their offspring are healthy and grow up in the open field. They leave and do not return.Who set the wild donkey free? Who released the swift donkey from its harness?I made the desert its home, and the salty wasteland its dwelling.It scoffs at the noise of the village and never hears the shouts of a driver.It roams the mountains for its pastureland, searching for anything green.Would the wild ox be willing to serve you? Would it spend the night by your feeding trough?Can you hold the wild ox to a furrow by its harness? Will it plow the valleys behind you?Can you depend on it because its strength is great? Would you leave it to do your hard work?Can you trust the wild ox to harvest your grain and bring it to your threshing floor?The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but are her feathers and plumage like the stork’s?She abandons her eggs on the ground and lets them be warmed in the sand.She forgets that a foot may crush them or that some wild animal may trample them.She treats her young harshly, as if they were not her own, with no fear that her labor may have been in vain.For God has deprived her of wisdom; he has not endowed her with understanding.When she proudly spreads her wings, she laughs at the horse and its rider.Do you give strength to the horse? Do you adorn his neck with a mane?Do you make him leap like a locust? His proud snorting fills one with terror.He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; he charges into battle.He laughs at fear, since he is afraid of nothing; he does not run from the sword.A quiver rattles at his side, along with a flashing spear and a javelin.He charges ahead with trembling rage; he cannot stand still at the sound of the ram’s horn.When the ram’s horn blasts, he snorts defiantly. He smells the battle from a distance; he hears the officers’ shouts and the battle cry.Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread its wings to the south?Does the eagle soar at your command and make its nest on high?It lives on a cliff where it spends the night; its stronghold is on a rocky crag.From there it searches for prey; its eyes penetrate the distance.Its brood gulps down blood, and where the slain are, it is there.
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Job 40:15-41:34
Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He eats grass like cattle.Look at the strength of his back and the power in the muscles of his belly.He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together.His bones are bronze tubes; his limbs are like iron rods.He is the foremost of God’s works; only his Maker can draw the sword against him.The hills yield food for him, while all sorts of wild animals play there.He lies under the lotus plants, hiding in the protection of marshy reeds.Lotus plants cover him with their shade; the willows by the brook surround him.Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth.Can anyone capture him while he looks on, or pierce his nose with snares?Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie his tongue down with a rope?Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?Will he beg you for mercy or speak softly to you?Will he make a covenant with you so that you can take him as a slave forever?Can you play with him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls?Will traders bargain for him or divide him among the merchants?Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?Lay a hand on him. You will remember the battle and never repeat it!Any hope of capturing him proves false. Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him?No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan; who then can stand against me?Who confronted me, that I should repay him? Everything under heaven belongs to me.I cannot be silent about his limbs, his power, and his graceful proportions.Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double layer of armor?Who can open his jaws, surrounded by those terrifying teeth?His pride is in his rows of scales, closely sealed together.One scale is so close to another that no air can pass between them.They are joined to one another, so closely connected they cannot be separated.His snorting flashes with light, while his eyes are like the rays of dawn.Flaming torches shoot from his mouth; fiery sparks fly out!Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot or burning reeds.His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames pour out of his mouth.Strength resides in his neck, and dismay dances before him.The folds of his flesh are joined together, solid as metal and immovable.His heart is as hard as a rock, as hard as a lower millstone!When Leviathan rises, the mighty are terrified; they withdraw because of his thrashing.The sword that reaches him will have no effect, nor will a spear, dart, or arrow.He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.No arrow can make him flee; slingstones become like stubble to him.A club is regarded as stubble, and he laughs at the sound of a javelin.His undersides are jagged potsherds, spreading the mud like a threshing sledge.He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron; he makes the sea like an ointment jar.He leaves a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had gray hair!He has no equal on earth— a creature devoid of fear!He surveys everything that is haughty; he is king over all the proud beasts.