Job 41
1 Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or tie up his jaws with a cord?
Can thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
2 Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
Can thou put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
3 Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak soft words to you?
Will he make many supplications to thee? Or will he speak soft words to thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever?
Will he make a covenant with thee, that thou should take him for a servant forever?
5 Will you play with him as you would with a bird? Will you tie him up for your servant girls?
Will thou play with him as with a bird? Or will thou bind him for thy maidens?
6 Will the groups of fishermen bargain for him? Will they divide him up to trade among the merchants?
Will the bands make traffic of him? Will they part him among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
Can thou fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish-spears?
8 Put your hand on him just once, and you will remember the battle and do it no more.
Lay thy hand upon him. Remember the battle, and do so no more.
9 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?
Behold, the hope of him is in vain. Will not a man be cast down even at the sight of him?
10 None is so fierce that he dare stir Leviathan up; who, then, is he who can stand before me?
None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?
11 Who has first given anything to me in order that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole sky is mine.
Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Under the whole heaven is mine.
12 I will not keep silent concerning Leviathan's legs, nor about the matter of his strength, nor about his graceful form.
I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.
13 Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double armor?
Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws?
14 Who can open the doors of his face— ringed with his teeth, which are a terror?
Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror.
15 his back is made up of rows of shields, tight together as with a close seal.
His strong scales are his pride, shut up together like a close seal.
16 One is so near to another that no air can come between them.
One is so near to another that no air can come between them.
17 They are joined to each other; they stick together, so that they cannot be pulled apart.
They are joined one to another. They stick together, so that they cannot be parted.
18 Light flashes out from his snorting; his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning dawn.
His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning torches, sparks of fire leap out.
Out of his mouth go burning torches, and sparks of fire leap forth.
20 Out of his nostrils goes smoke like a boiling pot on a fire that has been fanned to be very hot.
Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 His breath kindles coals into flame; fires go out from his mouth.
His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth.
22 In his neck is strength, and terror dances in front of him.
In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together; they are firm on him; they cannot be moved.
The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm upon him. They cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as hard as a stone— indeed, as hard as a lower millstone.
His heart is as firm as a stone, Yea, firm as the nether millstone.
25 When he raises himself up, even the gods become afraid; because of fear, they draw back.
When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid. Because of consternation they are beside themselves.
26 If a sword strikes him, it does nothing— and neither does a spear, an arrow, or any other pointed weapon.
If a man lays at him with the sword it cannot avail, nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.
27 He thinks of iron as if it were straw, and of bronze as if it were rotten wood.
He counts iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
28 An arrow cannot make him flee; to him sling stones become chaff.
The arrow cannot make him flee. Sling-stones are turned into stubble with him.
29 Clubs are regarded as straw; he laughs at the whirring flight of a spear.
Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin.
30 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.
His underparts are like sharp potsherds. He spreads out as a threshing-wagon upon the mire.
31 He makes the deep to foam up like a pot of boiling water; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He makes a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had gray hair.
He makes a path to shine after him. A man would think the deep to be hoary.
33 On earth there is no equal to him, who has been made to live without fear.
Upon earth there is not his like who is made without fear.
34 He sees everything that is proud; he is king over all the sons of pride.”
He beholds everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride.
