Job 41
1 “[Think also about] (crocodiles/great sea dragons). Can you catch them with a fishhook or fasten their jaws with a rope?
| תמשך לויתן בחכה ובחבל תשקיע לשנו׃ |
2 Can you put ropes through their noses [to control them] or thrust hooks through their jaws?
| התשים אגמון באפו ובחוח תקוב לחיו׃ |
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]?
| הירבה אליך תחנונים אם ידבר אליך רכות׃ |
4 Will they make an agreement with you to work for you, to be your slaves as long as they live?
| היכרת ברית עמך תקחנו לעבד עולם׃ |
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]?
| התשחק בו כצפור ותקשרנו לנערותיך׃ |
6 Will merchants try to buy them [in the market]? Will they cut them up into pieces and sell the meat?
| יכרו עליו חברים יחצוהו בין כנענים׃ |
7 Can you pierce their skins by throwing fishing spears at them? Can you pierce their heads with a harpoon?
| התמלא בשכות עורו ובצלצל דגים ראשו׃ |
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!
| שים עליו כפך זכר מלחמה אל תוסף׃ |
9 It is useless to try to subdue them. Anyone who tries to subdue one of them will lose his courage.
| הן תחלתו נכזבה הגם אל מראיו יטל׃ |
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]
| לא אכזר כי יעורנו ומי הוא לפני יתיצב׃ |
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!
| מי הקדימני ואשלם תחת כל השמים לי הוא׃ |
12 I will tell you about [how strong] crocodiles' legs [are] and how strong their well-formed bodies are.
| לא אחריש בדיו ודבר גבורות וחין ערכו׃ |
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?)
| מי גלה פני לבושו בכפל רסנו מי יבוא׃ |
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]
| דלתי פניו מי פתח סביבות שניו אימה׃ |
15 They have rows of scales on their back which are as hard as a rock (OR, tightly fastened together).
| גאוה אפיקי מגנים סגור חותם צר׃ |
16 The scales are very close together, with the result that not even air can get between them.
| אחד באחד יגשו ורוח לא יבוא ביניהם׃ |
17 The scales are joined very closely to each other, and they cannot be separated.
| איש באחיהו ידבקו יתלכדו ולא יתפרדו׃ |
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.
| עטישתיו תהל אור ועיניו כעפעפי שחר׃ |
19 [It is as though] sparks of fire pour out of their mouths [DOU].
| מפיו לפידים יהלכו כידודי אש יתמלטו׃ |
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.
| מנחיריו יצא עשן כדוד נפוח ואגמן׃ |
21 Their breath can cause coals to blaze, and flames shoot out from their mouths.
| נפשו גחלים תלהט ולהב מפיו יצא׃ |
22 Their necks are very strong; wherever they go, they cause people to be very afraid.
| בצוארו ילין עז ולפניו תדוץ דאבה׃ |
23 The folds in their flesh are very close together and are very hard/firm.
| מפלי בשרו דבקו יצוק עליו בל ימוט׃ |
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].
| לבו יצוק כמו אבן ויצוק כפלח תחתית׃ |
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.
| משתו יגורו אלים משברים יתחטאו׃ |
26 [People] [PRS] cannot injure them with swords, and spears or darts or javelins cannot injure them, either.
| משיגהו חרב בלי תקום חנית מסע ושריה׃ |
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!
| יחשב לתבן ברזל לעץ רקבון נחושה׃ |
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.
| לא יבריחנו בן קשת לקש נהפכו לו אבני קלע׃ |
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].
| כקש נחשבו תותח וישחק לרעש כידון׃ |
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.
| תחתיו חדודי חרש ירפד חרוץ עלי טיט׃ |
31 They stir up the water and cause it to foam [as they churn/swim through it].
| ירתיח כסיר מצולה ים ישים כמרקחה׃ |
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.
| אחריו יאיר נתיב יחשב תהום לשיבה׃ |
33 There are no creatures on earth that are as fearless as crocodiles.
| אין על עפר משלו העשו לבלי חת׃ |
34 They are the proudest of all the creatures; [it is as though] they [rule like] kings over all the other wild animals.”
| את כל גבה יראה הוא מלך על כל בני שחץ׃ |
