< Job 41 >

1 "Can you draw out Deinosuchus with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
Is it possible for Leviathan to be pulled out with a fish-hook, or for a hook to be put through the bone of his mouth?
2 Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
Will you put a cord into his nose, or take him away with a cord round his tongue?
3 Will he make many petitions to you, or will he speak soft words to you?
Will he make prayers to you, or say soft words to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever?
Will he make an agreement with you, so that you may take him as a servant for ever?
5 Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your girls?
Will you make sport with him, as with a bird? or put him in chains for your young women?
6 Will traders barter for him? Will they part him among the merchants?
Will the fishermen make profit out of him? will they have him cut up for the traders?
7 Can you fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish spears?
Will you put sharp-pointed irons into his skin, or fish-spears into his head?
8 If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the battle, and you will never do it again.
Only put your hand on him, and see what a fight you will have; you will not do it again!
9 Look, the hope of him is in vain. Won't one be cast down even at the sight of him?
Truly, the hope of his attacker is false; he is overcome even on seeing him!
10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?
He is so cruel that no one is ready to go against him. Who then is able to keep his place before me?
11 Who has confronted me, that I should repay? Everything under the heavens is mine.
Who ever went against me, and got the better of me? There is no one under heaven!
12 "I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.
I will not keep quiet about the parts of his body, or about his power, and the strength of his frame.
13 Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws?
Who has ever taken off his outer skin? who may come inside his inner coat of iron?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror.
Who has made open the doors of his face? Fear is round about his teeth.
15 Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal.
His back is made of lines of plates, joined tight together, one against the other, like a stamp.
16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
One is so near to the other that no air may come between them.
17 They are joined one to another. They stick together, so that they can't be pulled apart.
They take a grip of one another; they are joined together, so that they may not be parted.
18 His sneezing flashes out light. His eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
His sneezings give out flames, and his eyes are like the eyes of the dawn.
19 Out of his mouth go burning torches. Sparks of fire leap forth.
Out of his mouth go burning lights, and flames of fire are jumping up.
20 Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.
Smoke comes out of his nose, like a pot boiling on the fire.
21 His breath kindles coals. A flame goes forth from his mouth.
His breath puts fire to coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.
22 There is strength in his neck. Terror dances before him.
Strength is in his neck, and fear goes dancing before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can't be moved.
The plates of his flesh are joined together, fixed, and not to be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone, yes, firm as the lower millstone.
His heart is as strong as a stone, hard as the lower crushing-stone.
25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. They retreat before his thrashing.
When he gets ready for the fight, the strong are overcome with fear.
26 If one attacks him with the sword, it can't prevail; nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.
The sword may come near him but is not able to go through him; the spear, or the arrow, or the sharp-pointed iron.
27 He counts iron as straw; and bronze as rotten wood.
Iron is to him as dry grass, and brass as soft wood.
28 The arrow can't make him flee. Sling stones are like chaff to him.
The arrow is not able to put him to flight: stones are no more to him than dry stems.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin.
A thick stick is no better than a leaf of grass, and he makes sport of the onrush of the spear.
30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
Under him are sharp edges of broken pots: as if he was pulling a grain-crushing instrument over the wet earth.
31 He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
The deep is boiling like a pot of spices, and the sea like a perfume-vessel.
32 He makes a path shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair.
After him his way is shining, so that the deep seems white.
33 On earth there is not his equal, that is made without fear.
On earth there is not another like him, who is made without fear.
34 He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride."
Everything which is high goes in fear of him; he is king over all the sons of pride.

< Job 41 >