Job 41
1 Canst thou draw out the crocodile with a fishhook? or cause his tongue to sink into the batted rope?
“Do you draw leviathan with a hook? And do you let down his tongue with a rope?
2 Canst thou put a reed through his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
Do you put a reed in his nose? And pierce his jaw with a thorn?
3 Will he address many supplications unto thee? or will he speak submissively unto thee?
Does he multiply supplications to you? Does he speak tender things to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? that thou couldst take him as a servant for ever?
Does he make a covenant with you? Do you take him for a perpetual servant?
5 Canst thou play with him as with a bird? and tie him up for thy maidens?
Do you play with him as a bird? And do you bind him for your girls?
6 Can companions waylay him? can they divide him among merchants?
(Companions feast on him, They divide him among the merchants!)
7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? and [pierce] with a fish-spear his head?
Do you fill his skin with barbed irons? And his head with fish-spears?
8 Lay thy hand upon him; think of the battle: thou wilt never do it again.
Place your hand on him, Remember the battle—do not add!
9 Behold, his expectation was deceived: even at his mere sight is he cast down.
Behold, the hope of him is found a liar, Also, is one not cast down at his appearance?
10 None is so daring that he would stir him up: and who is there that will stand up before me?
None so fierce that he awakes him, And who [is] he [who] stations himself before Me?
11 Who hath shown me favor, that I should repay him! whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.—
Who has brought before Me and I repay? Under the whole heavens it [is] Mine.
12 I will not conceal [the account of] his limbs, nor the relation of his might, nor the grace of his proportion.
I do not keep silent concerning his parts, And the matter of might, And the grace of his arrangement.
13 Who hath ever laid open the front of his garment? or who can penetrate into his double row of teeth?
Who has uncovered the face of his clothing? Who enters within his double bridle?
14 Who hath opened the doors of his face? all round about his teeth abideth terror.
Who has opened the doors of his face? Around his teeth [are] terrible.
15 What pride is there in [his] strong shields; he is locked up as with a close seal.
A pride—strong ones of shields, Shut up—a close seal.
16 One is joined to another; and no breath can come between them.
They draw near to one another, And air does not enter between them.
17 They are fitted closely one to another: they are interlocked, that they cannot be severed.
They adhere to one another, They stick together and are not separated.
18 From his sneezing there beameth forth a light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning-dawn.
His sneezings cause light to shine, And his eyes [are] as the eyelids of the dawn.
19 Out of his mouth issue burning torches, sparks of fire escape [therefrom].
Flames go out of his mouth, sparks of fire escape.
20 Out of his nostrils cometh forth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
Smoke goes forth out of his nostrils, As a blown pot and reeds.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame cometh out of his mouth.
His breath sets coals on fire, And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
22 In his neck abideth strength, and before him danceth terror joyfully.
Strength lodges in his neck, And grief exults before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are fitted closely together: they are as molten metal on him, immovable.
The flakes of his flesh have adhered—Firm on him—it is not moved.
24 His heart is firm like a stone: yea, as firm as the nether millstone.
His heart [is] firm as a stone, Indeed, firm as the lower piece.
25 At his lifting himself up the mighty are terrified: the waves also are lessened.
The mighty are afraid at his rising, From his breakings they keep themselves free.
26 If one overtake him with the sword, it cannot hold; nor the spear, the dart, and armor.
The sword of his overtaker does not stand, Spear, dart, and breastplate.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, [and] brass as rotten wood.
He reckons iron as straw, bronze as rotten wood.
28 The child of the bow cannot make him flee: into stubble are slingstones changed unto him.
The son of the bow does not cause him to flee, Stones of the sling are turned into stubble by him.
29 Clubs are esteemed as stubble, and he laugheth at the whirring of the lance.
Darts have been reckoned as stubble, And he laughs at the shaking of a javelin.
30 Beneath him are sharp-pointed potsherds, he spreadeth out, [as it were, a] threshing-roller upon the mire.
Sharp points of clay [are] under him, He spreads gold on the mire.
31 He causeth the deep to boil like a pot: he rendereth the sea like an apothecary's mixture.
He causes the deep to boil as a pot, He makes the sea as a pot of ointment.
32 Behind him he causeth his pathway to shine, [so that] men esteem the deep to be hoary.
He causes a path to shine after him, One thinks the deep to be hoary.
33 There is none upon earth that ruleth over him, who is made to be without dread.
There is not on the earth his like, That is made without terror.
34 He looketh upon all that is high: he is the king over all the ravenous beasts.
He sees every high thing, He [is] king over all sons of pride.”
