Job 41
1 Wilt thou draw out the leviathan with the hook, and press down his tongue with a cord?
Can you pull out Leviathan with a hook? Can you tie its mouth shut?
2 Wilt thou put a rush-rope into his nose, and pierce his jaw with a spike?
Can you thread a rope through its nose? Can you pass a hook through its jaw?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? or will he speak softly unto thee?
Will it beg you to let it go? Or will it talk softly to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him as a bondman for ever?
Will it make a contract with you? Will it agree to be your slave forever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird, and wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
Will you play with it like a pet bird? Will you put it on a leash for your girls?
6 Shall partners make traffic of him, will they divide him among merchants?
Will your trading partners decide on a price for him, and divide him up among the merchants?
7 Wilt thou fill his skin with darts, and his head with fish-spears?
Can you pierce his skin with many harpoons, its head with fishing spears?
8 Lay thy hand upon him; remember the battle, — do no more!
If you were to grab hold of it, imagine the battle you would have! You wouldn't do that again!
9 Lo, hope as to him is belied: is not one cast down even at the sight of him?
Any hope to capture it is foolish. Anyone who tries is thrown to the ground.
10 None is so bold as to stir him up; and who is he that will stand before me?
Since no one has the courage to provoke Leviathan, who would dare to stand up against me?
11 Who hath first given to me, that I should repay [him]? [Whatsoever is] under the whole heaven is mine.
Who has confronted me with any claim that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12 I will not be silent as to his parts, the story of his power, and the beauty of his structure.
Let me tell you about Leviathan: its powerful legs and graceful proportions.
13 Who can uncover the surface of his garment? who can come within his double jaws?
Who can remove its hide? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror.
Who can open its jaws? Its teeth are terrifying!
15 The rows of his shields are a pride, shut up together [as with] a close seal.
Its pride is its rows of scales, closed tightly together.
16 One is so near to another that no air can come between them;
Its scales are so close together that no air can pass between them.
17 They are joined each to its fellow; they stick together, and cannot be sundered.
Each scale attaches to the next; they lock together and nothing can penetrate them.
18 His sneezings flash light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
When it sneezes light shines out. Its eyes are like the rising sun.
19 Out of his mouth go forth flames; sparks of fire leap out:
Flames pour from its mouth, sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a boiling pot and cauldron.
Smoke comes from its nostrils, like steam from a kettle on a fire made of reeds.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
Its breath sets fire to charcoal as flames shoot from its mouth.
22 In his neck lodgeth strength, and terror danceth before him.
Its neck is powerful, and all who face him shake with terror.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are fused upon him, they cannot be moved.
Its body is dense and solid, as if it is made from cast metal.
24 His heart is firm as a stone, yea, firm as the nether [millstone].
Its heart is rock-hard, like a millstone.
25 When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid: they are beside themselves with consternation.
When it rises, even the powerful are terrified; they retreat as it thrashes about.
26 If any reach him with a sword, it cannot hold; neither spear, nor dart, nor harpoon.
Swords just bounce off it, as do spears, darts, and javelins.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, bronze as rotten wood.
It brushes aside iron like straw, and bronze like rotten wood.
28 The arrow will not make him flee; slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
Arrows cannot make it run away; stones from slingshots are like pieces of stubble.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble; he laugheth at the shaking of a javelin.
Clubs are also treated like stubble; it laughs at the sound made by flying spears.
30 His under parts are sharp potsherds: he spreadeth a threshing-sledge upon the mire.
Its underparts are covered with points as sharp as broken pots; when it drags itself through the mud it leaves marks like a threshing sledge.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot; he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment;
It churns up the sea like water in a boiling pot, like a steaming bowl when ointment is mixed.
32 He maketh the path to shine after him: one would think the deep to be hoary.
It leaves a glistening wake behind it as if the sea had white hair.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
There is nothing on earth like it: a creature that has no fear.
34 He beholdeth all high things; he is king over all the proud beasts.
It looks down on all other creatures. It is the proudest of all.”
