Job 41
1 Dost thou draw leviathan with an angle? And with a rope thou lettest down — his tongue?
Can you pull out Leviathan with a hook? Can you tie its mouth shut?
2 Dost thou put a reed in his nose? And with a thorn pierce his jaw?
Can you thread a rope through its nose? Can you pass a hook through its jaw?
3 Doth he multiply unto thee supplications? Doth he speak unto thee tender things?
Will it beg you to let it go? Or will it talk softly to you?
4 Doth he make a covenant with thee? Dost thou take him for a servant age-during?
Will it make a contract with you? Will it agree to be your slave forever?
5 Dost thou play with him as a bird? And dost thou bind him for thy damsels?
Will you play with it like a pet bird? Will you put it on a leash for your girls?
6 (Feast upon him do companions, They divide him among the merchants!)
Will your trading partners decide on a price for him, and divide him up among the merchants?
7 Dost thou fill with barbed irons his skin? And with fish-spears his head?
Can you pierce his skin with many harpoons, its head with fishing spears?
8 Place on him thy hand, Remember the battle — do not add!
If you were to grab hold of it, imagine the battle you would have! You wouldn't do that again!
9 Lo, the hope of him is found a liar, Also at his appearance is not one cast down?
Any hope to capture it is foolish. Anyone who tries is thrown to the ground.
10 None so fierce that he doth awake him, And who [is] he before Me stationeth himself?
Since no one has the courage to provoke Leviathan, who would dare to stand up against me?
11 Who hath brought before Me and I repay? Under the whole heavens it [is] mine.
Who has confronted me with any claim that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12 I do not keep silent concerning his parts, And the matter of might, And the grace of his arrangement.
Let me tell you about Leviathan: its powerful legs and graceful proportions.
13 Who hath uncovered the face of his clothing? Within his double bridle who doth enter?
Who can remove its hide? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
14 The doors of his face who hath opened? Round about his teeth [are] terrible.
Who can open its jaws? Its teeth are terrifying!
15 A pride — strong ones of shields, Shut up — a close seal.
Its pride is its rows of scales, closed tightly together.
16 One unto another they draw nigh, And air doth not enter between them.
Its scales are so close together that no air can pass between them.
17 One unto another they adhere, They stick together and are not separated.
Each scale attaches to the next; they lock together and nothing can penetrate them.
18 His sneezings cause light to shine, And his eyes [are] as the eyelids of the dawn.
When it sneezes light shines out. Its eyes are like the rising sun.
19 Out of his mouth do flames go, sparks of fire escape.
Flames pour from its mouth, sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Out of his nostrils goeth forth smoke, As a blown pot and reeds.
Smoke comes from its nostrils, like steam from a kettle on a fire made of reeds.
21 His breath setteth coals on fire, And a flame from his mouth goeth forth.
Its breath sets fire to charcoal as flames shoot from its mouth.
22 In his neck lodge doth strength, And before him doth grief exult.
Its neck is powerful, and all who face him shake with terror.
23 The flakes of his flesh have adhered — Firm upon him — it is not moved.
Its body is dense and solid, as if it is made from cast metal.
24 His heart [is] firm as a stone, Yea, firm as the lower piece.
Its heart is rock-hard, like a millstone.
25 From his rising are the mighty afraid, From breakings they keep themselves free.
When it rises, even the powerful are terrified; they retreat as it thrashes about.
26 The sword of his overtaker standeth not, Spear — dart — and lance.
Swords just bounce off it, as do spears, darts, and javelins.
27 He reckoneth iron as straw, brass as rotten wood.
It brushes aside iron like straw, and bronze like rotten wood.
28 The son of the bow doth not cause him to flee, Turned by him into stubble are stones of the sling.
Arrows cannot make it run away; stones from slingshots are like pieces of stubble.
29 As stubble have darts been reckoned, And he laugheth at the shaking of a javelin.
Clubs are also treated like stubble; it laughs at the sound made by flying spears.
30 Under him [are] sharp points of clay, He spreadeth gold on the mire.
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 causeth to boil as a pot the deep, The sea he maketh as a pot of ointment.
It churns up the sea like water in a boiling pot, like a steaming bowl when ointment is mixed.
32 After him he causeth a path to shine, One thinketh the deep to be hoary.
It leaves a glistening wake behind it as if the sea had white hair.
33 There is not on the earth his like, That is made without terror.
There is nothing on earth like it: a creature that has no fear.
34 Every high thing he doth see, He [is] king over all sons of pride.
It looks down on all other creatures. It is the proudest of all.”
