Job 40
1 And the Lord God answered Job, and said,
And the Lord addressed Job, and said,
2 Will [any one] pervert judgment with the Mighty One? and he that reproves God, let him return it for answer.
Will he that contendeth with the Almighty yet find fault? him that reproveth God answer this.
3 And Job answered and said to the Lord,
Then answered Job the Lord, and said,
4 Why do I yet plead? being rebuked even while reproving the Lord: hearing such things, whereas I am nothing: and what shall I answer to these [arguments]? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
Behold, I am too vile: what shall I answer thee? my hand do I place on my mouth.
5 I have spoken once; but I will not do so a second time.
Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will not repeat it again.
6 And the Lord yet again answered and spoke to Job out of the cloud, [saying],
Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
7 Nay, gird up now thy loins like a man; and I will ask thee, and do thou answer me.
Do but gird up like a mighty man thy loins: I will ask thee, and do thou inform me.
8 Do not set aside my judgment: and dost thou think that I have dealt with thee in any other way, than that thou mightest appear to be righteous?
Wilt thou indeed annul my decree? wilt thou condemn me, in order that thou mayest appear righteous?
9 Hast thou an arm like the Lord's? or dost thou thunder with a voice like his?
But if thou hast an arm like God, or if thou canst thunder loudly like him:
10 Assume now a lofty bearing and power; and clothe thyself with glory and honour.
Then do deck thyself with excellence and greatness, and clothe thyself in majesty and glory.
11 And send forth messengers with wrath; and lay low every haughty one.
Scatter abroad the ragings of thy wrath, and look on every proud one, and humble him.
12 Bring down also the proud man; and consume at once the ungodly.
Look on every proud one, and bend him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
13 And hide them together in the earth; and fill their faces with shame.
Hide them in the dust altogether: bind up their faces in concealment.
14 [Then] will I confess that thy right hand can save [thee].
Then will I also myself praise thee, when thy own right hand hath helped thee.
15 But now look at the wild beasts with thee; they eat grass like oxen.
Only behold Behemoth, which I made near thee: grass he eateth like the ox.
16 Behold now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
Only see, [how great] is his strength in his loins, and his force, in the muscles of his belly.
17 He sets up his tail like a cypress; and his nerves are wrapped together.
He stretcheth out his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his loins are closely wrapped together.
18 His sides are sides of brass; and his backbone is [as] cast iron.
His bones are like pipes of brass: his frame is like bars of iron.
19 This is the chief of the creation of the Lord; made to be played with by his angels.
He is the first in rank of the works of God: he that made him can alone bring his sword near unto him.
20 And when he has gone up to a steep mountain, he causes joy to the quadrupeds in the deep.
But truly the mountains bear for him his food, and all the beasts of the field play there.
21 He lies under trees of every kind, by the papyrus, and reed, and bulrush.
Under shady trees he lieth down, in the covert of the reeds, and swamp.
22 And the great trees make a shadow over him with their branches, and [so do] the bushes of the field.
Shady trees cover him as his shadow: willows of the brook encompass him about.
23 If there should be a flood, he will not perceive it; he trust that Jordan will rush up into his mouth.
Behold, a river sweepeth violently along, but he hasteneth not away: he remaineth quiet, though a Jordan rusheth up to his mouth.
24 [Yet one] shall take him in his sight; [one] shall catch [him] with a cord, and pierce his nose.
Can one catch him before his eyes? pierce his nose by means of snares?—
