< Ἰώβ 41 >
1 ἄξεις δὲ δράκοντα ἐν ἀγκίστρῳ περιθήσεις δὲ φορβεὰν περὶ ῥῖνα αὐτοῦ
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fish hook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
2 εἰ δήσεις κρίκον ἐν τῷ μυκτῆρι αὐτοῦ ψελίῳ δὲ τρυπήσεις τὸ χεῖλος αὐτοῦ
Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
3 λαλήσει δέ σοι δεήσει ἱκετηρίᾳ μαλακῶς
Will he make many petitions to you, or will he speak soft words to you?
4 θήσεται δὲ διαθήκην μετὰ σοῦ λήμψῃ δὲ αὐτὸν δοῦλον αἰώνιον
Will he make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever?
5 παίξῃ δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ὥσπερ ὀρνέῳ ἢ δήσεις αὐτὸν ὥσπερ στρουθίον παιδίῳ
Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your girls?
6 ἐνσιτοῦνται δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη μεριτεύονται δὲ αὐτὸν φοινίκων γένη
Will traders barter for him? Will they part him among the merchants?
7 πᾶν δὲ πλωτὸν συνελθὸν οὐ μὴ ἐνέγκωσιν βύρσαν μίαν οὐρᾶς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν πλοίοις ἁλιέων κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ
Can you fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish spears?
8 ἐπιθήσεις δὲ αὐτῷ χεῖρα μνησθεὶς πόλεμον τὸν γινόμενον ἐν σώματι αὐτοῦ καὶ μηκέτι γινέσθω
Lay your hand on him. Remember the battle, and do so no more.
9 οὐχ ἑόρακας αὐτὸν οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις τεθαύμακας
Behold, the hope of him is in vain. Won’t one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10 οὐ δέδοικας ὅτι ἡτοίμασταί μοι τίς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐμοὶ ἀντιστάς
None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?
11 ἢ τίς ἀντιστήσεταί μοι καὶ ὑπομενεῖ εἰ πᾶσα ἡ ὑπ’ οὐρανὸν ἐμή ἐστιν
Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Everything under the heavens is mine.
12 οὐ σιωπήσομαι δῑ αὐτόν καὶ λόγον δυνάμεως ἐλεήσει τὸν ἴσον αὐτοῦ
“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.
13 τίς ἀποκαλύψει πρόσωπον ἐνδύσεως αὐτοῦ εἰς δὲ πτύξιν θώρακος αὐτοῦ τίς ἂν εἰσέλθοι
Who can strip off his outer garment? Who will come within his jaws?
14 πύλας προσώπου αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνοίξει κύκλῳ ὀδόντων αὐτοῦ φόβος
Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror.
15 τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ ἀσπίδες χάλκειαι σύνδεσμος δὲ αὐτοῦ ὥσπερ σμιρίτης λίθος
Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal.
16 εἷς τοῦ ἑνὸς κολλῶνται πνεῦμα δὲ οὐ μὴ διέλθῃ αὐτόν
One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
17 ἀνὴρ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ προσκολληθήσεται συνέχονται καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποσπασθῶσιν
They are joined to one another. They stick together, so that they can’t be pulled apart.
18 ἐν πταρμῷ αὐτοῦ ἐπιφαύσκεται φέγγος οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἶδος ἑωσφόρου
His sneezing flashes out light. His eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύονται λαμπάδες καιόμεναι καὶ διαρριπτοῦνται ἐσχάραι πυρός
Out of his mouth go burning torches. Sparks of fire leap out.
20 ἐκ μυκτήρων αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται καπνὸς καμίνου καιομένης πυρὶ ἀνθράκων
Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.
21 ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἄνθρακες φλὸξ δὲ ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται
His breath kindles coals. A flame goes out of his mouth.
22 ἐν δὲ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ αὐλίζεται δύναμις ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ τρέχει ἀπώλεια
There is strength in his neck. Terror dances before him.
23 σάρκες δὲ σώματος αὐτοῦ κεκόλληνται καταχέει ἐπ’ αὐτόν οὐ σαλευθήσεται
The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can’t be moved.
24 ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ πέπηγεν ὡς λίθος ἕστηκεν δὲ ὥσπερ ἄκμων ἀνήλατος
His heart is as firm as a stone, yes, firm as the lower millstone.
25 στραφέντος δὲ αὐτοῦ φόβος θηρίοις τετράποσιν ἐπὶ γῆς ἁλλομένοις
When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. They retreat before his thrashing.
26 ἐὰν συναντήσωσιν αὐτῷ λόγχαι οὐδὲν μὴ ποιήσωσιν δόρυ ἐπηρμένον καὶ θώρακα
If one attacks him with the sword, it can’t prevail; nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.
27 ἥγηται μὲν γὰρ σίδηρον ἄχυρα χαλκὸν δὲ ὥσπερ ξύλον σαθρόν
He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.
28 οὐ μὴ τρώσῃ αὐτὸν τόξον χάλκειον ἥγηται μὲν πετροβόλον χόρτον
The arrow can’t make him flee. Sling stones are like chaff to him.
29 ὡς καλάμη ἐλογίσθησαν σφῦραι καταγελᾷ δὲ σεισμοῦ πυρφόρου
Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin.
30 ἡ στρωμνὴ αὐτοῦ ὀβελίσκοι ὀξεῖς πᾶς δὲ χρυσὸς θαλάσσης ὑπ’ αὐτὸν ὥσπερ πηλὸς ἀμύθητος
His undersides are like sharp potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
31 ἀναζεῖ τὴν ἄβυσσον ὥσπερ χαλκεῖον ἥγηται δὲ τὴν θάλασσαν ὥσπερ ἐξάλειπτρον
He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 τὸν δὲ τάρταρον τῆς ἀβύσσου ὥσπερ αἰχμάλωτον ἐλογίσατο ἄβυσσον εἰς περίπατον
He makes a path shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair.
33 οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὅμοιον αὐτῷ πεποιημένον ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων μου
On earth there is not his equal, that is made without fear.
34 πᾶν ὑψηλὸν ὁρᾷ αὐτὸς δὲ βασιλεὺς πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν
He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride.”