Job 41
1 Is it possible for Leviathan to be pulled out with a fish-hook, or for a hook to be put through the bone of his mouth?
“Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?
2 Will you put a cord into his nose, or take him away with a cord round his tongue?
Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3 Will he make prayers to you, or say soft words to you?
Will he beg you for mercy or speak to you softly?
4 Will he make an agreement with you, so that you may take him as a servant for ever?
Will he make a covenant with you to take him as a slave for life?
5 Will you make sport with him, as with a bird? or put him in chains for your young women?
Can you pet him like a bird or put him on a leash for your maidens?
6 Will the fishermen make profit out of him? will they have him cut up for the traders?
Will traders barter for him or divide him among the merchants?
7 Will you put sharp-pointed irons into his skin, or fish-spears into his head?
Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
8 Only put your hand on him, and see what a fight you will have; you will not do it again!
If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the battle and never repeat it!
9 Truly, the hope of his attacker is false; he is overcome even on seeing him!
Surely hope of overcoming him is false. Is not the sight of him overwhelming?
10 He is so cruel that no one is ready to go against him. Who then is able to keep his place before me?
No one is so fierce as to rouse Leviathan. Then who is able to stand against Me?
11 Who ever went against me, and got the better of me? There is no one under heaven!
Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
12 I will not keep quiet about the parts of his body, or about his power, and the strength of his frame.
I cannot keep silent about his limbs, his power and graceful form.
13 Who has ever taken off his outer skin? who may come inside his inner coat of iron?
Who can strip off his outer coat? Who can approach him with a bridle?
14 Who has made open the doors of his face? Fear is round about his teeth.
Who can open his jaws, ringed by his fearsome teeth?
15 His back is made of lines of plates, joined tight together, one against the other, like a stamp.
His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together.
16 One is so near to the other that no air may come between them.
One scale is so near to another that no air can pass between them.
17 They take a grip of one another; they are joined together, so that they may not be parted.
They are joined to one another; they clasp and cannot be separated.
18 His sneezings give out flames, and his eyes are like the eyes of the dawn.
His snorting flashes with light, and his eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lights, and flames of fire are jumping up.
Firebrands stream from his mouth; fiery sparks shoot forth!
20 Smoke comes out of his nose, like a pot boiling on the fire.
Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 His breath puts fire to coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.
His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames pour from his mouth.
22 Strength is in his neck, and fear goes dancing before him.
Strength resides in his neck, and dismay leaps before him.
23 The plates of his flesh are joined together, fixed, and not to be moved.
The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.
24 His heart is as strong as a stone, hard as the lower crushing-stone.
His chest is as hard as a rock, as hard as a lower millstone!
25 When he gets ready for the fight, the strong are overcome with fear.
When Leviathan rises up, the mighty are terrified; they withdraw before his thrashing.
26 The sword may come near him but is not able to go through him; the spear, or the arrow, or the sharp-pointed iron.
The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or dart or arrow.
27 Iron is to him as dry grass, and brass as soft wood.
He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow is not able to put him to flight: stones are no more to him than dry stems.
No arrow can make him flee; slingstones become like chaff to him.
29 A thick stick is no better than a leaf of grass, and he makes sport of the onrush of the spear.
A club is regarded as straw, and he laughs at the sound of the lance.
30 Under him are sharp edges of broken pots: as if he was pulling a grain-crushing instrument over the wet earth.
His undersides are jagged potsherds, spreading out the mud like a threshing sledge.
31 The deep is boiling like a pot of spices, and the sea like a perfume-vessel.
He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron; he makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
32 After him his way is shining, so that the deep seems white.
He leaves a glistening wake behind him; one would think the deep had white hair!
33 On earth there is not another like him, who is made without fear.
Nothing on earth is his equal— a creature devoid of fear!
34 Everything which is high goes in fear of him; he is king over all the sons of pride.
He looks down on all the haughty; he is king over all the proud.”
