Job 41
1 Whether thou schalt mowe drawe out leuyathan with an hook, and schalt bynde with a roop his tunge?
Can you pull out Leviathan with a hook? Can you tie its mouth shut?
2 Whethir thou schalt putte a ryng in hise nosethirlis, ethir schalt perse hyse cheke with `an hook?
Can you thread a rope through its nose? Can you pass a hook through its jaw?
3 Whether he schal multiplie preieris to thee, ether schal speke softe thingis to thee?
Will it beg you to let it go? Or will it talk softly to you?
4 Whether he schal make couenaunt with thee, and `thou schalt take him a seruaunt euerlastinge?
Will it make a contract with you? Will it agree to be your slave forever?
5 Whether thou schalt scorne hym as a brid, ethir schalt bynde hym to thin handmaidis?
Will you play with it like a pet bird? Will you put it on a leash for your girls?
6 Schulen frendis `kerue hym, schulen marchauntis departe hym?
Will your trading partners decide on a price for him, and divide him up among the merchants?
7 Whether thou schalt fille nettis with his skyn, and a `leep of fischis with his heed?
Can you pierce his skin with many harpoons, its head with fishing spears?
8 Schalt thou putte thin hond on hym? haue thou mynde of the batel, and adde no more to speke.
If you were to grab hold of it, imagine the battle you would have! You wouldn't do that again!
9 Lo! his hope schal disseyue hym; and in the siyt of alle men he schal be cast doun.
Any hope to capture it is foolish. Anyone who tries is thrown to the ground.
10 I not as cruel schal reise hym; for who may ayenstonde my face?
Since no one has the courage to provoke Leviathan, who would dare to stand up against me?
11 And who `yaf to me bifore, that Y yelde to hym? Alle thingis, that ben vndur heuene, ben myne.
Who has confronted me with any claim that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12 Y schal not spare hym for myyti wordis, and maad faire to biseche.
Let me tell you about Leviathan: its powerful legs and graceful proportions.
13 Who schal schewe the face of his clothing, and who schal entre in to the myddis of his mouth?
Who can remove its hide? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
14 Who schal opene the yatis of his cheer? ferdfulnesse is bi the cumpas of hise teeth.
Who can open its jaws? Its teeth are terrifying!
15 His bodi is as yotun scheldys of bras, and ioyned togidere with scalis ouerleiynge hem silf.
Its pride is its rows of scales, closed tightly together.
16 Oon is ioyned to another; and sotheli brething goith not thorouy tho.
Its scales are so close together that no air can pass between them.
17 Oon schal cleue to anothir, and tho holdynge hem silf schulen not be departid.
Each scale attaches to the next; they lock together and nothing can penetrate them.
18 His fnesynge is as schynynge of fier, and hise iyen ben as iyelidis of the morewtid.
When it sneezes light shines out. Its eyes are like the rising sun.
19 Laumpis comen forth of his mouth, as trees of fier, that ben kyndlid.
Flames pour from its mouth, sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke cometh forth of hise nosethirlis, as of a pot set on the fier `and boilynge.
Smoke comes from its nostrils, like steam from a kettle on a fire made of reeds.
21 His breeth makith colis to brenne, and flawme goith out of his mouth.
Its breath sets fire to charcoal as flames shoot from its mouth.
22 Strengthe schal dwelle in his necke, and nedynesse schal go bifor his face.
Its neck is powerful, and all who face him shake with terror.
23 The membris of hise fleischis ben cleuynge togidere to hem silf; God schal sende floodis ayens hym, and tho schulen not be borun to an other place.
Its body is dense and solid, as if it is made from cast metal.
24 His herte schal be maad hard as a stoon; and it schal be streyned togidere as the anefeld of a smith.
Its heart is rock-hard, like a millstone.
25 Whanne he schal be takun awei, aungels schulen drede; and thei aferd schulen be purgid.
When it rises, even the powerful are terrified; they retreat as it thrashes about.
26 Whanne swerd takith hym, it may not stonde, nethir spere, nether haburioun.
Swords just bounce off it, as do spears, darts, and javelins.
27 For he schal arette irun as chaffis, and bras as rotun tre.
It brushes aside iron like straw, and bronze like rotten wood.
28 A man archere schal not dryue hym awei; stoonys of a slynge ben turned in to stobil to hym.
Arrows cannot make it run away; stones from slingshots are like pieces of stubble.
29 He schal arette an hamer as stobil; and he schal scorne a florischynge spere.
Clubs are also treated like stubble; it laughs at the sound made by flying spears.
30 The beemys of the sunne schulen be vndur hym; and he schal strewe to hym silf gold as cley.
Its underparts are covered with points as sharp as broken pots; when it drags itself through the mud it leaves marks like a threshing sledge.
31 He schal make the depe se to buyle as a pot; and he schal putte, as whanne oynementis buylen.
It churns up the sea like water in a boiling pot, like a steaming bowl when ointment is mixed.
32 A path schal schyne aftir hym; he schal gesse the greet occian as wexynge eld.
It leaves a glistening wake behind it as if the sea had white hair.
33 No power is on erthe, that schal be comparisound to hym; which is maad, that he schulde drede noon.
There is nothing on earth like it: a creature that has no fear.
34 He seeth al hiy thing; he is kyng ouer alle the sones of pride.
It looks down on all other creatures. It is the proudest of all.”
