Ayubu 41
1 “No ũhote kũguucũrũria nyamũ ĩrĩa ĩĩtagwo Leviathani na ndwano, kana wohe rũrĩmĩ rwayo na mũkanda?
“[Think also about] (crocodiles/great sea dragons). Can you catch them with a fishhook or fasten their jaws with a rope?
2 No ũhote kũmĩtoonyia rũrigi iniũrũ, kana ũmĩtũrĩkanie rũthĩa na ndwano?
Can you put ropes through their noses [to control them] or thrust hooks through their jaws?
3 No ĩtinde ĩgĩgũthaitha ũmĩiguĩre tha? No ĩkwarĩrie na ciugo cia ũhooreri?
Will they plead with you to act mercifully toward them or (use sweet talk/speak to you nicely) [in order that you will not harm them]?
4 No ĩrĩkanĩre nawe ũthiĩ nayo, ĩtũũre ĩrĩ ngombo yaku nginya tene?
Will they make an agreement with you to work for you, to be your slaves as long as they live?
5 No ũhote kũmĩhooreria ta nyoni, kana ũmĩoherere handũ nĩguo airĩtu aku mamĩmeemagie?
Can you cause them to become pets like you cause birds to become your pets? Can you put a leash/rope around their [necks] so that your servant girls [can play with them]?
6 Onjoria no mamĩkũũranie na indo ciao? No mamĩgayanie kũrĩ onjorithia?
Will merchants try to buy them [in the market]? Will they cut them up into pieces and sell the meat?
7 No ũhote gũtheecanga rũũa rwayo na mĩcengi, kana ũtheecange mũtwe wayo na mĩcengi ĩrĩa ĩtegaga thamaki?
Can you pierce their skins by throwing fishing spears at them? Can you pierce their heads with a harpoon?
8 Ũngĩmĩhutia na guoko, ũngĩtũũra ũririkanaga kĩgiano kĩu, na ndũngĩgacookera!
If you grab one of them with your hands, it will fight you in a way that you will never forget, and you will never try to do it again!
9 Mwĩrĩgĩrĩro wa atĩ no ũmĩtoorie nĩ kwĩheenia; o kũmĩona tu nĩkũiganĩte gũtũma mũndũ amake, orwo nĩ hinya.
It is useless to try to subdue them. Anyone who tries to subdue one of them will lose his courage.
10 Gũtirĩ mũndũ ũrĩ ũcamba mũiganu wa kũmĩarahũra. Nũũ ũngĩkĩhota kwĩĩndiiria niĩ?
No one dares/tries to (arouse them/cause them to be angry). So, [since I am much more powerful than they are, ] (who would dare to cause me to be angry?/no one would dare to cause me to be angry!) [RHQ]
11 Nũũ ũngĩnandũra kĩndũ atĩ nĩguo ndĩmũrĩhe? Kĩndũ gĩothe kĩrĩ rungu rwa igũrũ nĩ gĩakwa.
Also, everything on the earth is mine. Therefore, no one [RHQ] is able to give anything to me and require me to pay [money] for it!
12 “Ndikwaga kwaria ũhoro wa ciĩga ciayo, o na wa hinya wayo, na wa ũthaka wayo.
I will tell you about [how strong] crocodiles' legs [are] and how strong their well-formed bodies are.
13 Nũũ ũngĩhota kũmĩaũra nguo yayo ya igũrũ? Nũũ ũngĩmĩkuhĩrĩria amĩĩkĩre matamu?
(Can anyone strip off their hides?/No one is able to strip off their hides.) [RHQ] (Can anyone try to put bridles on them?/No one can try to put bridles on them.) [RHQ] (OR, Can anyone pierce their very thick hides?)
14 Nũũ ũngĩũmĩrĩria kũmĩathamia kanua, kau kaiyũrĩte magego ma kũmakania?
(Can anyone pry open their jaws, which have terrible teeth in them?/No one can pry open their jaws, which have terrible teeth in them!) [RHQ]
15 Mũgongo wayo ũrĩ na ngo ciĩiganĩrĩire mĩhari, ikomanĩire ikanyiitana;
They have rows of scales on their back which are as hard as a rock (OR, tightly fastened together).
16 o ĩmwe ĩnyiitanĩte na ĩrĩa ĩngĩ, ũũ atĩ gũtirĩ rĩera rĩngĩtoonyera gatagatĩ ga cio.
The scales are very close together, with the result that not even air can get between them.
17 Igwatanĩtio hamwe irĩ nũmu; inyiitanĩte hamwe ũndũ itangĩtigithũkana.
The scales are joined very closely to each other, and they cannot be separated.
18 Gũtiiha kwayo kũmenũkagia ũtheri; maitho mayo nĩ ta mĩrũri ya rũciinĩ gũgĩthererũka.
When crocodiles sneeze, [the tiny drops of water that come out of their noses] sparkle in the sunlight. Their eyes are red like the rising sun.
19 Imũrĩ cia mwaki ciumaga kanua-inĩ kayo; ĩrathũkagia thandĩ cia mwaki.
[It is as though] sparks of fire pour out of their mouths [DOU].
20 Ĩrutaga ndogo na maniũrũ taarĩ nyũngũ ĩratherũka ĩhagĩrĩtwo igũrũ rĩa mwaki wa ithanjĩ.
Smoke pours out of their nostrils/noses like steam comes out of a pot that is put over a fire made from dry reeds.
21 Mĩhũmũ yayo ĩgwatagia makara mwaki, naruo rũrĩrĩmbĩ rũkoima kanua kayo.
Their breath can cause coals to blaze, and flames shoot out from their mouths.
22 Ngingo-inĩ yayo nĩho hinya wayo ũkoragwo, ũrĩa ũmakagia kĩrĩa gĩothe gĩtũnganaga nayo.
Their necks are very strong; wherever they go, they cause people to be very afraid.
23 Mĩgũtha ya nyama ciayo nĩmĩnyiitanu mũno; nĩ mĩrũmu ũũ atĩ ndĩngĩenyenyeka.
The folds in their flesh are very close together and are very hard/firm.
24 Ngoro yayo yũmĩte ta ihiga, ĩkooma ta ihiga rĩa gũthĩa rĩa na thĩ.
[They are fearless, because] the inner parts of their bodies are as hard as a rock, as hard as the lower millstone [on which grain is ground].
25 Rĩrĩa yarahũka, arĩa marĩ hinya nĩmamakaga; mooraga ĩtanamahũũra.
When they rise up, they cause [even] very strong people to be terrified. As a result, people (fall back/run away) when crocodiles thrash around.
26 Gũtirĩ rũhiũ rwa njora rũngĩmĩĩka ũndũ, o na kana itimũ, kana mũguĩ, kana mĩcengi.
[People] [PRS] cannot injure them with swords, and spears or darts or javelins cannot injure them, either.
27 Harĩ Leviathani-rĩ, kĩgera no ta nyeki nyũmũ, nakĩo gĩcango no ta gĩcunjĩ kĩbuthu kĩa mũtĩ.
They [certainly are not afraid of weapons made of] straw or rotten wood, but [they are not even afraid of weapons made of] iron or bronze!
28 Mĩguĩ ndĩngĩtũma yũre; mahiga ma kĩgũtha no ta mũũngũ harĩ yo.
[Shooting] arrows [at them] does not cause them to run away. [Hurling] stones at them from a sling is like [hurling] bits of chaff at them.
29 Harĩ yo njũgũma no ta gacunjĩ ka rũnyeki rũmũ; ĩthekagĩrĩra kũbĩrĩrĩka gwa itimũ.
They are not afraid of clubs [any more than they would be afraid of men throwing] bits of straw [at them], and they laugh when they hear the whirl/sound of javelins [being thrown at them].
30 Nda yayo nĩ ta rũgĩo rũrĩ na mageca; ĩtigaga ngururo ndaka-inĩ ta cia ngaari iria ikonyoraga ngano.
Their bellies are covered with scales that are as sharp as broken pieces of pottery. When they drag themselves through the mud, their bellies tear up the ground like a plow.
31 Ĩtũmaga iria kũrĩa kũriku gũtherũke ta nyũngũ, na ĩkoiruga iria ta nyũngũ ya maguta ma kwĩhaka.
They stir up the water and cause it to foam [as they churn/swim through it].
32 Harĩa yagerera ĩtigaga mũhari ũkũhenia; mũndũ no eciirie atĩ ndia ĩrĩ na mbuĩ.
As they go through the water, the (wakes/trails in the water behind them) glisten. People [who see it] would think that the foam in those wakes had become white hair.
33 Gũtirĩ kĩndũ kĩngĩigananio nayo gũkũ thĩ; nĩ kĩũmbe gĩtarĩ guoya.
There are no creatures on earth that are as fearless as crocodiles.
34 Ĩnyũrũragia kĩrĩa gĩothe gĩĩtũũgagĩria; nĩyo mũthamaki wa kĩrĩa gĩothe gĩĩtĩĩaga.”
They are the proudest of all the creatures; [it is as though] they [rule like] kings over all the other wild animals.”
