Job 41
1 Can you pull out Leviathan with a hook? Can you tie its mouth shut?
Canst thou draw forth the crocodile with a hook, Or press down his tongue with a cord?
2 Can you thread a rope through its nose? Can you pass a hook through its jaw?
Canst thou put a rope into his nose, Or pierce his cheek with a hook?
3 Will it beg you to let it go? Or will it talk softly to you?
Will he make many entreaties to thee? Will he speak soft words to thee?
4 Will it make a contract with you? Will it agree to be your slave forever?
Will he make a covenant with thee? Canst thou take him for a servant for ever?
5 Will you play with it like a pet bird? Will you put it on a leash for your girls?
Canst thou play with him, as with a bird? Or canst thou bind him for thy maidens?
6 Will your trading partners decide on a price for him, and divide him up among the merchants?
Do men in company lay snares for him? Do they divide him among the merchants?
7 Can you pierce his skin with many harpoons, its head with fishing spears?
Canst thou fill his skirt with barbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears?
8 If you were to grab hold of it, imagine the battle you would have! You wouldn't do that again!
Do but lay thy hand upon him, —Thou wilt no more think of battle!
9 Any hope to capture it is foolish. Anyone who tries is thrown to the ground.
Behold, his hope is vain! Is he not cast down at the very sight of him?
10 Since no one has the courage to provoke Leviathan, who would dare to stand up against me?
None is so fierce that he dare stir him up; Who then is he that can stand before me?
11 Who has confronted me with any claim that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
Who hath done me a favor, that I must repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12 Let me tell you about Leviathan: its powerful legs and graceful proportions.
I will not be silent concerning his limbs, And his strength, and the beauty of his armor.
13 Who can remove its hide? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
Who can uncover the surface of his garment? Who will approach his jaws?
14 Who can open its jaws? Its teeth are terrifying!
Who will open the doors of his face? The rows of his teeth are terrible!
15 Its pride is its rows of scales, closed tightly together.
His glory is his strong shields, United with each other, as with a close seal.
16 Its scales are so close together that no air can pass between them.
They are joined one to another, So that no air can come between them.
17 Each scale attaches to the next; they lock together and nothing can penetrate them.
They cleave fast to each other, They hold together, and cannot be separated.
18 When it sneezes light shines out. Its eyes are like the rising sun.
His sneezing sendeth forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelashes of the morning.
19 Flames pour from its mouth, sparks of fire shoot out.
Out of his mouth go flames, And sparks of fire leap forth.
20 Smoke comes from its nostrils, like steam from a kettle on a fire made of reeds.
From his nostrils issueth smoke, as from a heated pot, or caldron.
21 Its breath sets fire to charcoal as flames shoot from its mouth.
His breath kindleth coals, And flames issue from his mouth.
22 Its neck is powerful, and all who face him shake with terror.
In his neck dwelleth strength, And terror danceth before him.
23 Its body is dense and solid, as if it is made from cast metal.
The flakes of his flesh cleave fast together; They are firm upon him, and cannot be moved.
24 Its heart is rock-hard, like a millstone.
His heart is solid like a stone; Yea, solid like the nether millstone.
25 When it rises, even the powerful are terrified; they retreat as it thrashes about.
When he riseth up, the mighty are afraid; Yea, they lose themselves for terror.
26 Swords just bounce off it, as do spears, darts, and javelins.
The sword of him that assaileth him doth not stand, The spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
27 It brushes aside iron like straw, and bronze like rotten wood.
He regardeth iron as straw, And brass as rotten wood.
28 Arrows cannot make it run away; stones from slingshots are like pieces of stubble.
The arrow cannot make him flee; Sling-stones to him become stubble;
29 Clubs are also treated like stubble; it laughs at the sound made by flying spears.
Clubs are accounted by him as straw; He laugheth at the shaking of the spear.
30 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.
Under him are sharp potsherds; He spreadeth out a thrashing-sledge upon the mire.
31 It churns up the sea like water in a boiling pot, like a steaming bowl when ointment is mixed.
He maketh the deep to boil like a caldron; He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it as if the sea had white hair.
Behind him he leaveth a shining path; One would think the deep to be hoary.
33 There is nothing on earth like it: a creature that has no fear.
Upon the earth there is not his master; He is made without fear.
34 It looks down on all other creatures. It is the proudest of all.”
He looketh down upon all that is high; He is king over all the sons of pride.
