< Job 41 >

1 Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or tie up his jaws with a cord?
Dost thou draw leviathan with an angle? And with a rope thou lettest down — his tongue?
2 Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
Dost thou put a reed in his nose? And with a thorn pierce his jaw?
3 Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak soft words to you?
Doth he multiply unto thee supplications? Doth he speak unto thee tender things?
4 Will he make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever?
Doth he make a covenant with thee? Dost thou take him for a servant age-during?
5 Will you play with him as you would with a bird? Will you tie him up for your servant girls?
Dost thou play with him as a bird? And dost thou bind him for thy damsels?
6 Will the groups of fishermen bargain for him? Will they divide him up to trade among the merchants?
(Feast upon him do companions, They divide him among the merchants!)
7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
Dost thou fill with barbed irons his skin? And with fish-spears his head?
8 Put your hand on him just once, and you will remember the battle and do it no more.
Place on him thy hand, Remember the battle — do not add!
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?
Lo, the hope of him is found a liar, Also at his appearance is not one cast down?
10 None is so fierce that he dare stir Leviathan up; who, then, is he who can stand before me?
None so fierce that he doth awake him, And who [is] he before Me stationeth himself?
11 Who has first given anything to me in order that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole sky is mine.
Who hath brought before Me and I repay? Under the whole heavens it [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 do not keep silent concerning his parts, And the matter of might, And the grace of his arrangement.
13 Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double armor?
Who hath uncovered the face of his clothing? Within his double bridle who doth enter?
14 Who can open the doors of his face— ringed with his teeth, which are a terror?
The doors of his face who hath opened? Round about his teeth [are] terrible.
15 his back is made up of rows of shields, tight together as with a close seal.
A pride — strong ones of shields, Shut up — a close seal.
16 One is so near to another that no air can come between them.
One unto another they draw nigh, And air doth not enter between them.
17 They are joined to each other; they stick together, so that they cannot be pulled apart.
One unto another they adhere, They stick together and are not separated.
18 Light flashes out from his snorting; his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning dawn.
His sneezings cause light to shine, And his eyes [are] as the eyelids of the dawn.
19 Out of his mouth go burning torches, sparks of fire leap out.
Out of his mouth do flames go, sparks of fire escape.
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 goeth forth smoke, As a blown pot and reeds.
21 His breath kindles coals into flame; fires go out from his mouth.
His breath setteth coals on fire, And a flame from his mouth goeth forth.
22 In his neck is strength, and terror dances in front of him.
In his neck lodge doth strength, And before him doth grief exult.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together; they are firm on him; they cannot be moved.
The flakes of his flesh have adhered — Firm upon him — it is not moved.
24 His heart is as hard as a stone— indeed, as hard as a lower millstone.
His heart [is] firm as a stone, Yea, firm as the lower piece.
25 When he raises himself up, even the gods become afraid; because of fear, they draw back.
From his rising are the mighty afraid, From breakings they keep themselves free.
26 If a sword strikes him, it does nothing— and neither does a spear, an arrow, or any other pointed weapon.
The sword of his overtaker standeth not, Spear — dart — and lance.
27 He thinks of iron as if it were straw, and of bronze as if it were rotten wood.
He reckoneth iron as straw, brass as rotten wood.
28 An arrow cannot make him flee; to him sling stones become chaff.
The son of the bow doth not cause him to flee, Turned by him into stubble are stones of the sling.
29 Clubs are regarded as straw; he laughs at the whirring flight of a spear.
As stubble have darts been reckoned, And he laugheth at the shaking of a 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.
Under him [are] sharp points of clay, He spreadeth gold on 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 causeth to boil as a pot the deep, The sea he maketh as a pot of ointment.
32 He makes a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had gray hair.
After him he causeth a path to shine, One thinketh the deep to be hoary.
33 On earth there is no equal to him, who has been made to live without fear.
There is not on the earth his like, That is made without terror.
34 He sees everything that is proud; he is king over all the sons of pride.”
Every high thing he doth see, He [is] king over all sons of pride.

< Job 41 >