< Job 41 >

1 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?
Dost thou draw leviathan with an angle? And with a rope thou lettest down — his tongue?
2 Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?
Dost thou put a reed in his nose? And with a thorn pierce his jaw?
3 Will he beg you for mercy or speak to you softly?
Doth he multiply unto thee supplications? Doth he speak unto thee tender things?
4 Will he make a covenant with you to take him as a slave for life?
Doth he make a covenant with thee? Dost thou take him for a servant age-during?
5 Can you pet him like a bird or put him on a leash for your maidens?
Dost thou play with him as a bird? And dost thou bind him for thy damsels?
6 Will traders barter for him or divide him among the merchants?
(Feast upon him do companions, They divide him among the merchants!)
7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
Dost thou fill with barbed irons his skin? And with fish-spears his head?
8 If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the battle and never repeat it!
Place on him thy hand, Remember the battle — do not add!
9 Surely hope of overcoming him is false. Is not the sight of him overwhelming?
Lo, the hope of him is found a liar, Also at his appearance is not one cast down?
10 No one is so fierce as to rouse Leviathan. Then who is able to stand against Me?
None so fierce that he doth awake him, And who [is] he before Me stationeth himself?
11 Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
Who hath brought before Me and I repay? Under the whole heavens it [is] mine.
12 I cannot keep silent about his limbs, his power and graceful form.
I do not keep silent concerning his parts, And the matter of might, And the grace of his arrangement.
13 Who can strip off his outer coat? Who can approach him with a bridle?
Who hath uncovered the face of his clothing? Within his double bridle who doth enter?
14 Who can open his jaws, ringed by his fearsome teeth?
The doors of his face who hath opened? Round about his teeth [are] terrible.
15 His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together.
A pride — strong ones of shields, Shut up — a close seal.
16 One scale is so near to another that no air can pass between them.
One unto another they draw nigh, And air doth not enter between them.
17 They are joined to one another; they clasp and cannot be separated.
One unto another they adhere, They stick together and are not separated.
18 His snorting flashes with light, and his eyes are like the rays of dawn.
His sneezings cause light to shine, And his eyes [are] as the eyelids of the dawn.
19 Firebrands stream from his mouth; fiery sparks shoot forth!
Out of his mouth do flames go, sparks of fire escape.
20 Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
Out of his nostrils goeth forth smoke, As a blown pot and reeds.
21 His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames pour from his mouth.
His breath setteth coals on fire, And a flame from his mouth goeth forth.
22 Strength resides in his neck, and dismay leaps before him.
In his neck lodge doth strength, And before him doth grief exult.
23 The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.
The flakes of his flesh have adhered — Firm upon him — it is not moved.
24 His chest is as hard as a rock, as hard as a lower millstone!
His heart [is] firm as a stone, Yea, firm as the lower piece.
25 When Leviathan rises up, the mighty are terrified; they withdraw before his thrashing.
From his rising are the mighty afraid, From breakings they keep themselves free.
26 The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or dart or arrow.
The sword of his overtaker standeth not, Spear — dart — and lance.
27 He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.
He reckoneth iron as straw, brass as rotten wood.
28 No arrow can make him flee; slingstones become like chaff to him.
The son of the bow doth not cause him to flee, Turned by him into stubble are stones of the sling.
29 A club is regarded as straw, and he laughs at the sound of the lance.
As stubble have darts been reckoned, And he laugheth at the shaking of a javelin.
30 His undersides are jagged potsherds, spreading out the mud like a threshing sledge.
Under him [are] sharp points of clay, He spreadeth gold on the mire.
31 He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron; he makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
He causeth to boil as a pot the deep, The sea he maketh as a pot of ointment.
32 He leaves a glistening wake behind him; one would think the deep had white hair!
After him he causeth a path to shine, One thinketh the deep to be hoary.
33 Nothing on earth is his equal— a creature devoid of fear!
There is not on the earth his like, That is made without terror.
34 He looks down on all the haughty; he is king over all the proud.”
Every high thing he doth see, He [is] king over all sons of pride.

< Job 41 >