Job 40
1 And the Lord addressed Job, and said,
And the Lord God answered Job, and said,
2 Will he that contendeth with the Almighty yet find fault? him that reproveth God answer this.
Will [any one] pervert judgement with the Mighty One? and he that reproves God, let him return it for answer.
3 Then answered Job the Lord, and said,
And Job answered and said to the Lord,
4 Behold, I am too vile: what shall I answer thee? my hand do I place on my mouth.
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.
5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will not repeat it again.
I have spoken once; but I will not do so a second time.
6 Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
And the Lord yet again answered and spoke to Job out of the cloud, [saying],
7 Do but gird up like a mighty man thy loins: I will ask thee, and do thou inform me.
Nay, gird up now your loins like a man; and I will ask you, and do you answer me.
8 Wilt thou indeed annul my decree? wilt thou condemn me, in order that thou mayest appear righteous?
Do not set aside my judgement: and do you think that I have dealt with you in any other way, than that you might appear to be righteous?
9 But if thou hast an arm like God, or if thou canst thunder loudly like him:
Hast you an arm like the Lord's? or do you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Then do deck thyself with excellence and greatness, and clothe thyself in majesty and glory.
Assume now a lofty bearing and power; and clothe yourself with glory and honour.
11 Scatter abroad the ragings of thy wrath, and look on every proud one, and humble him.
And send forth messengers with wrath; and lay low every haughty one.
12 Look on every proud one, and bend him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
Bring down also the proud man; and consume at once the ungodly.
13 Hide them in the dust altogether: bind up their faces in concealment.
And hide them together in the earth; and fill their faces with shame.
14 Then will I also myself praise thee, when thy own right hand hath helped thee.
[Then] will I confess that your right hand can save [you].
15 Only behold Behemoth, which I made near thee: grass he eateth like the ox.
But now look at the wild beasts with you; they eat grass like oxen.
16 Only see, [how great] is his strength in his loins, and his force, in the muscles of his belly.
Behold now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
17 He stretcheth out his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his loins are closely wrapped together.
He sets up his tail like a cypress; and his nerves are wrapped together.
18 His bones are like pipes of brass: his frame is like bars of iron.
His sides are sides of brass; and his backbone is [as] cast iron.
19 He is the first in rank of the works of God: he that made him can alone bring his sword near unto him.
This is the chief of the creation of the Lord; made to be played with by his angels.
20 But truly the mountains bear for him his food, and all the beasts of the field play there.
And when he has gone up to a steep mountain, he causes joy to the quadrupeds in the deep.
21 Under shady trees he lieth down, in the covert of the reeds, and swamp.
He lies under trees of every kind, by the papyrus, and reed, and bulrush.
22 Shady trees cover him as his shadow: willows of the brook encompass him about.
And the great trees make a shadow over him with their branches, and [so do] the bushes of the field.
23 Behold, a river sweepeth violently along, but he hasteneth not away: he remaineth quiet, though a Jordan rusheth up to his mouth.
If there should be a flood, he will not perceive it; he trust that Jordan will rush up into his mouth.
24 Can one catch him before his eyes? pierce his nose by means of snares?—
[Yet one] shall take him in his sight; [one] shall catch [him] with a cord, and pierce his nose.
