Job 40
1 And Yahweh responded to Job, and said: —
Then Yahweh said to Job,
2 Shall a reprover contend, with the Almighty? He that disputeth with GOD, let him answer it!
“Do you still want to argue with me, the Almighty One? Since you criticize me, (you should be able to answer my questions!/why are you not able to answer my questions?) [RHQ]”
3 Then Job responded to Yahweh, and said: —
Then Job replied to Yahweh,
4 Lo! I am of no account, what shall I reply to thee? My hand, have I laid on my mouth:
“[Now I realize that] I am completely worthless. So (how could I answer [those questions]?/I could not possibly answer [those questions]!) [RHQ] I will put my hand over my mouth [and not say anything].
5 Once, have I spoken, but I will not proceed, yea twice, but I will not add.
I have already said more than I should have said, so now I will say nothing more.”
6 So then Yahweh responded to Job, out of a storm, and said: —
Then Yahweh [again] spoke to Job from inside the great windstorm. He said,
7 Gird, I pray thee—as a strong man—thy loins, I will ask thee, and inform thou me.
“I want to ask you some [more] questions. So as men prepare themselves for a difficult task [MET], prepare yourself again to answer some [more] questions.
8 Wilt thou even frustrate my justice? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest appear right?
“Are you going to accuse me and say that I am unjust? Are you going to say that what I have done is wrong, in order that you can say that what you have done is right?
9 But if, an arm like GOD, thou hast, and, with a voice like his, thou canst thunder,
Are you as powerful [MTY] as I am? Can your voice sound [as loud] as thunder, as mine can?
10 Deck thyself, I pray thee, with majesty and grandeur, Yea, with dignity and splendour, thou shalt clothe thyself;
[If you can do that], put on the robes that show that you are glorious and are greatly honored!
11 Pour out thy transports of anger, and look on every one who is high, and lay him low;
Show that you are very angry; show that you have the right/authority to humble people who are [very] proud!
12 Look on every one who is high, and humble him, yea tread down the lawless, on the spot:
Humble those proud people [just] by looking at them [angrily] Crush wicked people quickly!
13 Hide them in the dust all together, Their faces, bind thou in darkness;
Bury them in the ground! Send them to the place where dead people are, where they will not be able to get out!
14 And, even I myself, will praise thee, in that thine own right hand can bring thee salvation.
After you do that, I will congratulate/praise you and say that [truly] you can save yourself by your own ability/power.
15 Behold, I pray thee, the Hippopotamus, which I made with thee, Grass—like the ox, he eateth;
“Think [also] about the huge animals that live near the water. I made you, and I made them also. They eat grass, like oxen do.
16 Behold, I pray thee, his strength in his loins, and his force, in the muscles of his belly;
Their legs/thighs are [very] strong, and the muscles of their bellies are [very] powerful.
17 He bendeth down his tail like a cedar, the sinews of his thighs, are twisted together;
Their tails are stiff (OR, bend down) like the branches of a cedar tree. The sinews/muscles of their thighs are close together.
18 His bones, are barrels of bronze, his frame, is like hammered bars of iron:
Their [thigh] bones are [like] tubes [made] of bronze, and the bones of their legs are like bars [made] of iron.
19 He, is the beginning of the ways of GOD, Let his maker, present him his sword:
They are among the strongest of the animals that I made, and I, who created them, am the only one who can kill them.
20 Surely the mountains bring, produce, to him, where, all the wild beasts of the field, do play;
On the hills grows food [PRS] for them to eat while many [HYP] other wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus-trees, he lieth down, in a covert of reed and swamp;
They lie down [in the water] under the lotus plants; they hide in [tall] reeds in the swamps.
22 The lotus-trees cover him with their shade, the willows of the torrent-bed compass him about;
Those huge animals find shade under the lotus plants, and they are surrounded by poplar trees.
23 Lo! the river becometh insolent—he is not alarmed! He is confident, though a Jordan burst forth to his mouth:
They are not disturbed by raging/swiftly-flowing rivers; they are not even disturbed/frightened when [rivers like the] Jordan [River] rush over them.
24 Before his eyes, shall he be caught? With a hook, can one pierce his nose?
No one can [RHQ] catch them by blinding their eyes or by piercing their noses with [the teeth of] a trap!”
