Hiob 41
1 “Àte ŋu atsɔ ƒu aɖe lo le tɔ me alo atsɔ ka abla eƒe aɖe ɖe nu me nɛa?
Can you pull out Leviathan with a hook? Can you tie its mouth shut?
2 Àte ŋu ade ka ŋɔti me nɛ alo atsɔ ƒu aŋɔ eƒe glã?
Can you thread a rope through its nose? Can you pass a hook through its jaw?
3 Anɔ kukuɖeɖe na wò dzi ɖaa be nàkpɔ nublanui nɛa? Aƒo nu na wò kple gbe blewua?
Will it beg you to let it go? Or will it talk softly to you?
4 Awɔ ɖoɖo kpli wò be nàkplɔe wòanye wò kluvi le eƒe agbe me katã?
Will it make a contract with you? Will it agree to be your slave forever?
5 Àte ŋu amlae abe xevi ene alo atsɔe ada ɖe avɔ dzi na viwò nyɔnuviwoa?
Will you play with it like a pet bird? Will you put it on a leash for your girls?
6 Ɖe asitsalawo atsɔ woƒe adzɔnuwo aɖɔliia? Ɖe woamae ɖe asitsalawo domea?
Will your trading partners decide on a price for him, and divide him up among the merchants?
7 Àte ŋu atsɔ gaƒliwo aŋɔ eƒe ŋutigbalẽ alo atsɔ akplɔ atɔ eƒe ta?
Can you pierce his skin with many harpoons, its head with fishing spears?
8 Ne èka asi eŋuti la, àɖo ŋku avuwɔwɔ si yi edzi la dzi eye madzro wò be nàgawɔe o!
If you were to grab hold of it, imagine the battle you would have! You wouldn't do that again!
9 Mɔkpɔkpɔ be yeate ŋu aɖu edzi nye beble elabena ne èkpɔe teti gɔ̃ hã la, ŋɔ adzi wò.
Any hope to capture it is foolish. Anyone who tries is thrown to the ground.
10 Ame aɖeke medzi ŋɔ de enu ne wòanyɔe o. Ekema ame kae ate ŋu anɔ te ɖe nunye?
Since no one has the courage to provoke Leviathan, who would dare to stand up against me?
11 Ame kae tre nu nanam bena maɖo eteƒe nɛ mahã? Nu sia nu si le ɣea te la nye tɔnye.
Who has confronted me with any claim that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12 “Nyemagbe nuƒoƒo le eƒe ata, abɔ, eƒe ŋusẽ kple eƒe nɔnɔme dzeani la ŋu o.
Let me tell you about Leviathan: its powerful legs and graceful proportions.
13 Ame ka ate ŋu aɖe awu si wòdo ɖe edzi la le eŋu? Ame ka ate ŋu ado ɖe egbɔ kple gaƒli?
Who can remove its hide? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
14 Ame ka ate ŋu ake eƒe nu, nu si me aɖuwo katã kpe ɖe wo nɔewo nu le kple vɔvɔ̃?
Who can open its jaws? Its teeth are terrifying!
15 Akpoxɔnuwo ɖo ɖe eƒe dzimegbe eye woɖo ɖe wo nɔewo nu,
Its pride is its rows of scales, closed tightly together.
16 ɖe sia ɖe lé ɖe nɔvia ŋu ale gbegbe be, ya gɔ̃ hã mate ŋu ato wo dome o.
Its scales are so close together that no air can pass between them.
17 Wolé ɖe wo nɔewo ŋu sesĩe, woku ɖe wo nɔewo ŋu ale gbegbe be, womate ŋu ama wo dome o.
Each scale attaches to the next; they lock together and nothing can penetrate them.
18 Eƒe nyenye kea dzo miamiamia eye eƒe ŋkuwo le abe ŋdi ƒe kekeli ene.
When it sneezes light shines out. Its eyes are like the rising sun.
19 Dzoxiwo dona tso eƒe nu me, eye nenema kee nye dzo ƒe aɖewo hã.
Flames pour from its mouth, sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Dzudzɔ dona le eƒe ŋɔtime abe ale si tsize si woɖo aƒladzo dzi la fiena tua dzudzɔe ene.
Smoke comes from its nostrils, like steam from a kettle on a fire made of reeds.
21 Eƒe gbɔgbɔ dea dzo aka me eye dzo bibi dona tso eƒe nu me.
Its breath sets fire to charcoal as flames shoot from its mouth.
22 Ŋusẽ le eƒe kɔ me eye dɔmedzoe le eŋgɔ.
Its neck is powerful, and all who face him shake with terror.
23 Eƒe ayi mlɔ wo nɔewo dzi eye wolé ɖe wo nɔewo ŋu sesĩe, ale be womate ŋu afoe ɖa o.
Its body is dense and solid, as if it is made from cast metal.
24 Eƒe akɔta do akpa abe kpe ene eye wòsẽ abe te si dzi wotua nu le la ene.
Its heart is rock-hard, like a millstone.
25 Ne etso la, ŋɔ dzia ŋusẽtɔwo gɔ̃ hã eye wogbugbɔna ɖe megbe ne wose eƒe afɔzi wògbɔna.
When it rises, even the powerful are terrified; they retreat as it thrashes about.
26 Yi si kaa eŋu la mewɔa nanekee o, nenema kee nye akplɔ, aŋutrɔ kple akplɔ nuɖekɛ.
Swords just bounce off it, as do spears, darts, and javelins.
27 Gayibɔ le nɛ abe gbe ƒuƒu ene eye akɔbli le abe ati si nyunyɔ la ene.
It brushes aside iron like straw, and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Mesina le aŋutrɔwo nu o eye akafokpewo le nɛ abe blitsro ene.
Arrows cannot make it run away; stones from slingshots are like pieces of stubble.
29 Kpo le nɛ abe gbe ƒuƒu ene eye ne yi le gbe dom la, eɖia kokoe nɛ.
Clubs are also treated like stubble; it laughs at the sound made by flying spears.
30 Eƒe dɔme le abe ze gbagbã dzaglidzagliwo ene eye woɖea fli ɖe ba me abe luƒomɔ ene.
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 Enana gogloƒewo fiena wlɔwlɔwlɔ abe aŋɔɖaze ene eye wòblua atsiaƒu me abe amiɖaze me blum wole ene.
It churns up the sea like water in a boiling pot, like a steaming bowl when ointment is mixed.
32 Egblẽa mɔ si le dzo dzam la ɖe emegbe eye wòtrɔa atsiaƒu wòzua futukpɔ ɣi, ale nàbu be atsiaƒua ɖe wòƒo wɔ ene.
It leaves a glistening wake behind it as if the sea had white hair.
33 Naneke mele anyigba dzi sɔ kplii o, enye nuwɔwɔ si mevɔ̃a naneke o.
There is nothing on earth like it: a creature that has no fear.
34 Eklẽa ŋku ɖe nu siwo katã doa wo ɖokui ɖe dzi eye wònye fia ɖe nu siwo katã dana la dzi.”
It looks down on all other creatures. It is the proudest of all.”
