Job 41
1 Canst thou draw forth the crocodile with a hook, Or press down his tongue with a cord?
Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or tie up his jaws with a cord?
2 Canst thou put a rope into his nose, Or pierce his cheek with a hook?
Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
3 Will he make many entreaties to thee? Will he speak soft words to thee?
Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak soft words to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? Canst thou take him for 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? Or canst thou bind him for thy maidens?
Will you play with him as you would with a bird? Will you tie him up for your servant girls?
6 Do men in company lay snares for him? Do they divide him among the merchants?
Will the groups of fishermen bargain for him? Will they divide him up to trade among the merchants?
7 Canst thou fill his skirt with barbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears?
Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
8 Do but lay thy hand upon him, —Thou wilt no more think of battle!
Put your hand on him just once, and you will remember the battle and do it no more.
9 Behold, his hope is vain! Is he not cast down at the very sight of him?
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 fierce that he dare stir him up; Who then is he that can stand before me?
None is so fierce that he dare stir Leviathan up; who, then, is he who can stand before me?
11 Who hath done me a favor, that I must repay him? Whatever 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 be silent concerning his limbs, And his strength, and the beauty of his armor.
I will not keep silent concerning Leviathan's legs, nor about the matter of his strength, nor about his graceful form.
13 Who can uncover the surface of his garment? Who will approach his jaws?
Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double armor?
14 Who will open the doors of his face? The rows of his teeth are terrible!
Who can open the doors of his face— ringed with his teeth, which are a terror?
15 His glory is his strong shields, United with each other, as with a close seal.
his back is made up of rows of shields, tight together as with a close seal.
16 They are joined one to another, So that no air can come between them.
One is so near to another that no air can come between them.
17 They cleave fast to each other, They hold together, and cannot be separated.
They are joined to each other; they stick together, so that they cannot be pulled apart.
18 His sneezing sendeth forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelashes of the morning.
Light flashes out from his snorting; his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning dawn.
19 Out of his mouth go flames, And sparks of fire leap forth.
Out of his mouth go burning torches, sparks of fire leap out.
20 From his nostrils issueth smoke, as from a heated 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 flames issue from his mouth.
His breath kindles coals into flame; fires go out from his mouth.
22 In his neck dwelleth strength, And terror danceth before him.
In his neck is strength, and terror dances in front of him.
23 The flakes of his flesh cleave fast together; They are firm upon him, and cannot be moved.
The folds of his flesh are joined together; they are firm on him; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is solid like a stone; Yea, solid like the nether millstone.
His heart is as hard as a stone— indeed, as hard as a lower millstone.
25 When he riseth up, the mighty are afraid; Yea, they lose themselves for terror.
When he raises himself up, even the gods become afraid; because of fear, they draw back.
26 The sword of him that assaileth him doth not stand, The spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
If a sword strikes him, it does nothing— and neither does a spear, an arrow, or any other pointed weapon.
27 He regardeth 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 arrow cannot make him flee; Sling-stones to him become stubble;
An arrow cannot make him flee; to him sling stones become chaff.
29 Clubs are accounted by him as straw; He laugheth at the shaking of the spear.
Clubs are regarded as straw; he laughs at the whirring flight of a spear.
30 Under him are sharp potsherds; He spreadeth out a thrashing-sledge 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 maketh the deep to boil like a caldron; He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
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 leaveth a shining path; One would think the deep to be hoary.
He makes a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had gray hair.
33 Upon the earth there is not his master; He is made without fear.
On earth there is no equal to him, who has been made to live without fear.
34 He looketh down upon all that is high; He is king over all the sons of pride.
He sees everything that is proud; he is king over all the sons of pride.”
