Job 41
1 Canst thou draw out the crocodile with a fishhook? or cause his tongue to sink into the batted rope?
Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or tie up his jaws with a cord?
2 Canst thou put a reed through his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
3 Will he address many supplications unto thee? or will he speak submissively unto thee?
Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak soft words to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? that thou couldst take him as a servant for ever?
Will he make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever?
5 Canst thou play with him as with a bird? and tie him up for thy maidens?
Will you play with him as you would with a bird? Will you tie him up for your servant girls?
6 Can companions waylay him? can they divide him among merchants?
Will the groups of fishermen bargain for him? Will they divide him up to trade among the merchants?
7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? and [pierce] with a fish-spear his head?
Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
8 Lay thy hand upon him; think of the battle: thou wilt never do it again.
Put your hand on him just once, and you will remember the battle and do it no more.
9 Behold, his expectation was deceived: even at his mere sight is he cast down.
See, the hope of anyone who does that is a lie; will not anyone be thrown down to the ground just by the sight of him?
10 None is so daring that he would stir him up: and who is there that will stand up before me?
None is so fierce that he dare stir Leviathan up; who, then, is he who can stand before me?
11 Who hath shown me favor, that I should repay him! whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.—
Who has first given anything to me in order that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole sky 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 will not keep silent concerning Leviathan's legs, nor about the matter of his strength, nor about his graceful form.
13 Who hath ever laid open the front of his garment? or who can penetrate into his double row of teeth?
Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double armor?
14 Who hath opened the doors of his face? all round about his teeth abideth terror.
Who can open the doors of his face— ringed with his teeth, which are a terror?
15 What pride is there in [his] strong shields; he is locked up as with a close seal.
his back is made up of rows of shields, tight together as with a close seal.
16 One is joined to another; and no breath can come between them.
One is so near to another that no air can come between them.
17 They are fitted closely one to another: they are interlocked, that they cannot be severed.
They are joined to each other; they stick together, so that they cannot be pulled apart.
18 From his sneezing there beameth forth a light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning-dawn.
Light flashes out from his snorting; his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning dawn.
19 Out of his mouth issue burning torches, sparks of fire escape [therefrom].
Out of his mouth go burning torches, sparks of fire leap out.
20 Out of his nostrils cometh forth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
Out of his nostrils goes smoke like a boiling pot on a fire that has been fanned to be very hot.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame cometh out of his mouth.
His breath kindles coals into flame; fires go out from his mouth.
22 In his neck abideth strength, and before him danceth terror joyfully.
In his neck is strength, and terror dances in front of him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are fitted closely together: they are as molten metal on him, immovable.
The folds of his flesh are joined together; they are firm on him; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is firm like a stone: yea, as firm as the nether millstone.
His heart is as hard as a stone— indeed, as hard as a lower millstone.
25 At his lifting himself up the mighty are terrified: the waves also are lessened.
When he raises himself up, even the gods become afraid; because of fear, they draw back.
26 If one overtake him with the sword, it cannot hold; nor the spear, the dart, and armor.
If a sword strikes him, it does nothing— and neither does a spear, an arrow, or any other pointed weapon.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, [and] brass as rotten wood.
He thinks of iron as if it were straw, and of bronze as if it were rotten wood.
28 The child of the bow cannot make him flee: into stubble are slingstones changed unto him.
An arrow cannot make him flee; to him sling stones become chaff.
29 Clubs are esteemed as stubble, and he laugheth at the whirring of the lance.
Clubs are regarded as straw; he laughs at the whirring flight of a spear.
30 Beneath him are sharp-pointed potsherds, he spreadeth out, [as it were, a] threshing-roller upon the mire.
His lower parts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery; he leaves a spreading trail in the mud as if he were a threshing sledge.
31 He causeth the deep to boil like a pot: he rendereth the sea like an apothecary's mixture.
He makes the deep to foam up like a pot of boiling water; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 Behind him he causeth his pathway to shine, [so that] men esteem the deep to be hoary.
He makes a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had gray hair.
33 There is none upon earth that ruleth over him, who is made to be without dread.
On earth there is no equal to him, who has been made to live without fear.
34 He looketh upon all that is high: he is the king over all the ravenous beasts.
He sees everything that is proud; he is king over all the sons of pride.”
