Job 41
1 Canst thou draw forth the crocodile with a hook, 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 Canst thou put a rope into his nose, Or pierce his cheek 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 entreaties to thee? Will he speak soft words to thee?
Will he make prayers to you, or say soft words to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? Canst thou take him for a servant for ever?
Will he make an agreement with you, so that you may take him as a servant for ever?
5 Canst thou play with him, as with a bird? Or canst thou bind him for thy maidens?
Will you make sport with him, as with a bird? or put him in chains for your young women?
6 Do men in company lay snares for him? Do they divide him among the merchants?
Will the fishermen make profit out of him? will they have him cut up for the traders?
7 Canst thou fill his skirt 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 Do but lay thy hand upon him, —Thou wilt no more think of battle!
Only put your hand on him, and see what a fight you will have; you will not do it again!
9 Behold, his hope is vain! Is he not cast down at the very 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 that 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 hath done me a favor, that I must repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
Who ever went against me, and got the better of me? There is no one under heaven!
12 I will not be silent concerning his limbs, And his strength, and the beauty of his armor.
I will not keep quiet about the parts of his body, or about his power, and the strength of his frame.
13 Who can uncover the surface of his garment? Who will approach his jaws?
Who has ever taken off his outer skin? who may come inside his inner coat of iron?
14 Who will open the doors of his face? The rows of his teeth are terrible!
Who has made open the doors of his face? Fear is round about his teeth.
15 His glory is his strong shields, United with each other, as with a close seal.
His back is made of lines of plates, joined tight together, one against the other, like a stamp.
16 They are joined one to another, So that no air can come between them.
One is so near to the other that no air may come between them.
17 They cleave fast to each other, They hold together, and cannot be separated.
They take a grip of one another; they are joined together, so that they may not be parted.
18 His sneezing sendeth forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelashes of the morning.
His sneezings give out flames, and his eyes are like the eyes of the dawn.
19 Out of his mouth go flames, And sparks of fire leap forth.
Out of his mouth go burning lights, and flames of fire are jumping up.
20 From his nostrils issueth smoke, as from a heated pot, or caldron.
Smoke comes out of his nose, like a pot boiling on the fire.
21 His breath kindleth coals, And flames issue from his mouth.
His breath puts fire to coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.
22 In his neck dwelleth strength, And terror danceth before him.
Strength is in his neck, and fear goes dancing before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh cleave fast together; They are firm upon him, and cannot be moved.
The plates of his flesh are joined together, fixed, and not to be moved.
24 His heart is solid like a stone; Yea, solid like the nether millstone.
His heart is as strong as a stone, hard as the lower crushing-stone.
25 When he riseth up, the mighty are afraid; Yea, they lose themselves for terror.
When he gets ready for the fight, the strong are overcome with fear.
26 The sword of him that assaileth him doth not stand, The spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
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 regardeth iron as straw, And brass as rotten wood.
Iron is to him as dry grass, and brass as soft wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee; Sling-stones to him become stubble;
The arrow is not able to put him to flight: stones are no more to him than dry stems.
29 Clubs are accounted by him as straw; He laugheth at the shaking of the spear.
A thick stick is no better than a leaf of grass, and he makes sport of the onrush of the spear.
30 Under him are sharp potsherds; He spreadeth out a thrashing-sledge upon the mire.
Under him are sharp edges of broken pots: as if he was pulling a grain-crushing instrument over the wet earth.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a caldron; He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
The deep is boiling like a pot of spices, and the sea like a perfume-vessel.
32 Behind him he leaveth a shining path; One would think the deep to be hoary.
After him his way is shining, so that the deep seems white.
33 Upon the earth there is not his master; He is made without fear.
On earth there is not another like him, who is made without fear.
34 He looketh down upon all 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.
