Job 40
1 And Yahweh responded to Job, and said: —
And the Lord God answered Job, and said,
2 Shall a reprover contend, with the Almighty? He that disputeth with GOD, let him answer it!
Will [any one] pervert judgment with the Mighty One? and he that reproves God, let him return it for answer.
3 Then Job responded to Yahweh, and said: —
And Job answered and said to the Lord,
4 Lo! I am of no account, what shall I reply to thee? My hand, have I laid on my mouth:
Why do I yet plead? being rebuked even while reproving the Lord: hearing such things, whereas I am nothing: and what shall I answer to these [arguments]? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
5 Once, have I spoken, but I will not proceed, yea twice, but I will not add.
I have spoken once; but I will not do so a second time.
6 So then Yahweh responded to Job, out of a storm, and said: —
And the Lord yet again answered and spoke to Job out of the cloud, [saying],
7 Gird, I pray thee—as a strong man—thy loins, I will ask thee, and inform thou me.
Nay, gird up now your loins like a man; and I will ask you, and do you answer me.
8 Wilt thou even frustrate my justice? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest appear right?
Do not set aside my judgment: and do you think that I have dealt with you in any other way, than that you might appear to be righteous?
9 But if, an arm like GOD, thou hast, and, with a voice like his, thou canst thunder,
Hast you an arm like the Lord's? or do you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Deck thyself, I pray thee, with majesty and grandeur, Yea, with dignity and splendour, thou shalt clothe thyself;
Assume now a lofty bearing and power; and clothe yourself with glory and honor.
11 Pour out thy transports of anger, and look on every one who is high, and lay him low;
And send forth messengers with wrath; and lay low every haughty one.
12 Look on every one who is high, and humble him, yea tread down the lawless, on the spot:
Bring down also the proud man; and consume at once the ungodly.
13 Hide them in the dust all together, Their faces, bind thou in darkness;
And hide them together in the earth; and fill their faces with shame.
14 And, even I myself, will praise thee, in that thine own right hand can bring thee salvation.
[Then] will I confess that your right hand can save [you].
15 Behold, I pray thee, the Hippopotamus, which I made with thee, Grass—like the ox, he eateth;
But now look at the wild beasts with you; they eat grass like oxen.
16 Behold, I pray thee, his strength in his loins, and his force, in the muscles of his belly;
Behold now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
17 He bendeth down his tail like a cedar, the sinews of his thighs, are twisted together;
He sets up his tail like a cypress; and his nerves are wrapped together.
18 His bones, are barrels of bronze, his frame, is like hammered bars of iron:
His sides are sides of brass; and his backbone is [as] cast iron.
19 He, is the beginning of the ways of GOD, Let his maker, present him his sword:
This is the chief of the creation of the Lord; made to be played with by his angels.
20 Surely the mountains bring, produce, to him, where, all the wild beasts of the field, do play;
And when he has gone up to a steep mountain, he causes joy to the quadrupeds in the deep.
21 Under the lotus-trees, he lieth down, in a covert of reed and swamp;
He lies under trees of every kind, by the papyrus, and reed, and bulrush.
22 The lotus-trees cover him with their shade, the willows of the torrent-bed compass him about;
And the great trees make a shadow over him with their branches, and [so do] the bushes of the field.
23 Lo! the river becometh insolent—he is not alarmed! He is confident, though a Jordan burst forth to his mouth:
If there should be a flood, he will not perceive it; he trust that Jordan will rush up into his mouth.
24 Before his eyes, shall he be caught? With a hook, can one pierce his nose?
[Yet one] shall take him in his sight; [one] shall catch [him] with a cord, and pierce his nose.
