< Job 41 >
1 “[Think also about] (crocodiles/great sea dragons). Can you catch them with a fishhook or fasten their jaws with a rope?
ἄξεις δὲ δράκοντα ἐν ἀγκίστρῳ περιθήσεις δὲ φορβεὰν περὶ ῥῖνα αὐτοῦ
2 Can you put ropes through their noses [to control them] or thrust hooks through their jaws?
εἰ δήσεις κρίκον ἐν τῷ μυκτῆρι αὐτοῦ ψελίῳ δὲ τρυπήσεις τὸ χεῖλος αὐτοῦ
3 Will they plead with you to act mercifully toward them or (use sweet talk/speak to you nicely) [in order that you will not harm them]?
λαλήσει δέ σοι δεήσει ἱκετηρίᾳ μαλακῶς
4 Will they make an agreement with you to work for you, to be your slaves as long as they live?
θήσεται δὲ διαθήκην μετὰ σοῦ λήμψῃ δὲ αὐτὸν δοῦλον αἰώνιον
5 Can you cause them to become pets like you cause birds to become your pets? Can you put a leash/rope around their [necks] so that your servant girls [can play with them]?
παίξῃ δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ὥσπερ ὀρνέῳ ἢ δήσεις αὐτὸν ὥσπερ στρουθίον παιδίῳ
6 Will merchants try to buy them [in the market]? Will they cut them up into pieces and sell the meat?
ἐνσιτοῦνται δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη μεριτεύονται δὲ αὐτὸν φοινίκων γένη
7 Can you pierce their skins by throwing fishing spears at them? Can you pierce their heads with a harpoon?
πᾶν δὲ πλωτὸν συνελθὸν οὐ μὴ ἐνέγκωσιν βύρσαν μίαν οὐρᾶς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν πλοίοις ἁλιέων κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ
8 If you grab one of them with your hands, it will fight you in a way that you will never forget, and you will never try to do it again!
ἐπιθήσεις δὲ αὐτῷ χεῖρα μνησθεὶς πόλεμον τὸν γινόμενον ἐν σώματι αὐτοῦ καὶ μηκέτι γινέσθω
9 It is useless to try to subdue them. Anyone who tries to subdue one of them will lose his courage.
οὐχ ἑόρακας αὐτὸν οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις τεθαύμακας
10 No one dares/tries to (arouse them/cause them to be angry). So, [since I am much more powerful than they are, ] (who would dare to cause me to be angry?/no one would dare to cause me to be angry!) [RHQ]
οὐ δέδοικας ὅτι ἡτοίμασταί μοι τίς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐμοὶ ἀντιστάς
11 Also, everything on the earth is mine. Therefore, no one [RHQ] is able to give anything to me and require me to pay [money] for it!
ἢ τίς ἀντιστήσεταί μοι καὶ ὑπομενεῖ εἰ πᾶσα ἡ ὑπ’ οὐρανὸν ἐμή ἐστιν
12 I will tell you about [how strong] crocodiles' legs [are] and how strong their well-formed bodies are.
οὐ σιωπήσομαι δῑ αὐτόν καὶ λόγον δυνάμεως ἐλεήσει τὸν ἴσον αὐτοῦ
13 (Can anyone strip off their hides?/No one is able to strip off their hides.) [RHQ] (Can anyone try to put bridles on them?/No one can try to put bridles on them.) [RHQ] (OR, Can anyone pierce their very thick hides?)
τίς ἀποκαλύψει πρόσωπον ἐνδύσεως αὐτοῦ εἰς δὲ πτύξιν θώρακος αὐτοῦ τίς ἂν εἰσέλθοι
14 (Can anyone pry open their jaws, which have terrible teeth in them?/No one can pry open their jaws, which have terrible teeth in them!) [RHQ]
πύλας προσώπου αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνοίξει κύκλῳ ὀδόντων αὐτοῦ φόβος
15 They have rows of scales on their back which are as hard as a rock (OR, tightly fastened together).
τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ ἀσπίδες χάλκειαι σύνδεσμος δὲ αὐτοῦ ὥσπερ σμιρίτης λίθος
16 The scales are very close together, with the result that not even air can get between them.
εἷς τοῦ ἑνὸς κολλῶνται πνεῦμα δὲ οὐ μὴ διέλθῃ αὐτόν
17 The scales are joined very closely to each other, and they cannot be separated.
ἀνὴρ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ προσκολληθήσεται συνέχονται καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποσπασθῶσιν
18 When crocodiles sneeze, [the tiny drops of water that come out of their noses] sparkle in the sunlight. Their eyes are red like the rising sun.
ἐν πταρμῷ αὐτοῦ ἐπιφαύσκεται φέγγος οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἶδος ἑωσφόρου
19 [It is as though] sparks of fire pour out of their mouths [DOU].
ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύονται λαμπάδες καιόμεναι καὶ διαρριπτοῦνται ἐσχάραι πυρός
20 Smoke pours out of their nostrils/noses like steam comes out of a pot that is put over a fire made from dry reeds.
ἐκ μυκτήρων αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται καπνὸς καμίνου καιομένης πυρὶ ἀνθράκων
21 Their breath can cause coals to blaze, and flames shoot out from their mouths.
ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἄνθρακες φλὸξ δὲ ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται
22 Their necks are very strong; wherever they go, they cause people to be very afraid.
ἐν δὲ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ αὐλίζεται δύναμις ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ τρέχει ἀπώλεια
23 The folds in their flesh are very close together and are very hard/firm.
σάρκες δὲ σώματος αὐτοῦ κεκόλληνται καταχέει ἐπ’ αὐτόν οὐ σαλευθήσεται
24 [They are fearless, because] the inner parts of their bodies are as hard as a rock, as hard as the lower millstone [on which grain is ground].
ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ πέπηγεν ὡς λίθος ἕστηκεν δὲ ὥσπερ ἄκμων ἀνήλατος
25 When they rise up, they cause [even] very strong people to be terrified. As a result, people (fall back/run away) when crocodiles thrash around.
στραφέντος δὲ αὐτοῦ φόβος θηρίοις τετράποσιν ἐπὶ γῆς ἁλλομένοις
26 [People] [PRS] cannot injure them with swords, and spears or darts or javelins cannot injure them, either.
ἐὰν συναντήσωσιν αὐτῷ λόγχαι οὐδὲν μὴ ποιήσωσιν δόρυ ἐπηρμένον καὶ θώρακα
27 They [certainly are not afraid of weapons made of] straw or rotten wood, but [they are not even afraid of weapons made of] iron or bronze!
ἥγηται μὲν γὰρ σίδηρον ἄχυρα χαλκὸν δὲ ὥσπερ ξύλον σαθρόν
28 [Shooting] arrows [at them] does not cause them to run away. [Hurling] stones at them from a sling is like [hurling] bits of chaff at them.
οὐ μὴ τρώσῃ αὐτὸν τόξον χάλκειον ἥγηται μὲν πετροβόλον χόρτον
29 They are not afraid of clubs [any more than they would be afraid of men throwing] bits of straw [at them], and they laugh when they hear the whirl/sound of javelins [being thrown at them].
ὡς καλάμη ἐλογίσθησαν σφῦραι καταγελᾷ δὲ σεισμοῦ πυρφόρου
30 Their bellies are covered with scales that are as sharp as broken pieces of pottery. When they drag themselves through the mud, their bellies tear up the ground like a plow.
ἡ στρωμνὴ αὐτοῦ ὀβελίσκοι ὀξεῖς πᾶς δὲ χρυσὸς θαλάσσης ὑπ’ αὐτὸν ὥσπερ πηλὸς ἀμύθητος
31 They stir up the water and cause it to foam [as they churn/swim through it].
ἀναζεῖ τὴν ἄβυσσον ὥσπερ χαλκεῖον ἥγηται δὲ τὴν θάλασσαν ὥσπερ ἐξάλειπτρον
32 As they go through the water, the (wakes/trails in the water behind them) glisten. People [who see it] would think that the foam in those wakes had become white hair.
τὸν δὲ τάρταρον τῆς ἀβύσσου ὥσπερ αἰχμάλωτον ἐλογίσατο ἄβυσσον εἰς περίπατον
33 There are no creatures on earth that are as fearless as crocodiles.
οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὅμοιον αὐτῷ πεποιημένον ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων μου
34 They are the proudest of all the creatures; [it is as though] they [rule like] kings over all the other wild animals.”
πᾶν ὑψηλὸν ὁρᾷ αὐτὸς δὲ βασιλεὺς πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν