איוב 41
| תמשך לויתן בחכה ובחבל תשקיע לשנו | 1 |
But will you catch the serpent with a hook, and put a halter about his nose?
| התשים אגמן באפו ובחוח תקב לחיו | 2 |
Or will you fasten a ring in his nostril, and bore his lip with a clasp?
| הירבה אליך תחנונים אם-ידבר אליך רכות | 3 |
Will he address you with a petition? softly, with the voice of a suppliant?
| היכרת ברית עמך תקחנו לעבד עולם | 4 |
And will he make a covenant with you? and will you take him for a perpetual servant?
| התשחק-בו כצפור ותקשרנו לנערותיך | 5 |
And will you play with him as with a bird? or bind him as a sparrow for a child?
| יכרו עליו חברים יחצוהו בין כנענים | 6 |
And do the nations feed upon him, and the nations of the Phoenicians share him?
| התמלא בשכות עורו ובצלצל דגים ראשו | 7 |
And all the ships come together would not be able to bear the mere skin of his tail; neither [shall they carry] his head in fishing vessels.
| שים-עליו כפך זכר מלחמה אל-תוסף | 8 |
But you shall lay your hand upon him [once], remembering the war that is waged by his mouth; and let it not be done any more.
| הן-תחלתו נכזבה הגם אל-מראיו יטל | 9 |
Hast you not seen him? and have you not wondered at the things said [of him]?
| לא-אכזר כי יעורנו ומי הוא לפני יתיצב | 10 |
Do you not fear because preparation has been made by me? for who is there that resists me?
| מי הקדימני ואשלם תחת כל-השמים לי-הוא | 11 |
Or who will resist me, and abide, since the whole [world] under heaven is mine?
| לא- (לו-) אחריש בדיו ודבר-גבורות וחין ערכו | 12 |
I will not be silent because of him: though because of his power [one] shall pity his antagonist.
| מי-גלה פני לבושו בכפל רסנו מי יבוא | 13 |
Who will open the face of his garment? and who can enter within the fold of his breastplate?
| דלתי פניו מי פתח סביבות שניו אימה | 14 |
Who will open the doors of his face? terror is round about his teeth.
| גאוה אפיקי מגנים סגור חותם צר | 15 |
His inwards are as brazen plates, and the texture of his [skin] as a smyrite stone.
| אחד באחד יגשו ורוח לא-יבא ביניהם | 16 |
One [part] cleaves fast to another, and the air can’t come between them.
| איש-באחיהו ידבקו יתלכדו ולא יתפרדו | 17 |
They will remain united each to the other: they are closely joined, and can’t be separated.
| עטישתיו תהל אור ועיניו כעפעפי-שחר | 18 |
At his sneezing a light shines, and his eyes are [as] the appearance of the morning star.
| מפיו לפידים יהלכו כידודי אש יתמלטו | 19 |
Out of his mouth proceed as it were burning lamps, and as it were hearths of fire are cast abroad.
| מנחיריו יצא עשן-- כדוד נפוח ואגמן | 20 |
Out of his nostrils proceeds smoke of a furnace burning with fire of coals.
| נפשו גחלים תלהט ולהב מפיו יצא | 21 |
His breath is [as] live coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.
| בצוארו ילין עז ולפניו תדוץ דאבה | 22 |
And power is lodged in his neck, before him destruction runs.
| מפלי בשרו דבקו יצוק עליו בל-ימוט | 23 |
The flesh also of his body is joined together: [if one] pours [violence] upon him, he shall not be moved.
| לבו יצוק כמו-אבן ויצוק כפלח תחתית | 24 |
His heart is firm as a stone, and it stands like an unyielding anvil.
| משתו יגורו אלים משברים יתחטאו | 25 |
And when he turns, [he is] a terror to the four-footed wild beasts which leap upon the earth.
| משיגהו חרב בלי תקום חנית מסע ושריה | 26 |
If spears should come against him, [men] will effect nothing, [either with] the spear or the breast-plate.
| יחשב לתבן ברזל לעץ רקבון נחושה | 27 |
For he considers iron as chaff, and brass as rotten wood.
| לא-יבריחנו בן-קשת לקש נהפכו-לו אבני-קלע | 28 |
The bow of brass shall not would him, he deems a slinger as grass.
| כקש נחשבו תותח וישחק לרעש כידון | 29 |
Mauls are counted as stubble; and he laughs to scorn the waving of the firebrand.
| תחתיו חדודי חרש ירפד חרוץ עלי-טיט | 30 |
His lair is [formed of] sharp points; and all the gold of the sea under him is an immense [quantity of] clay.
| ירתיח כסיר מצולה ים ישים כמרקחה | 31 |
He makes the deep boil like a brazen caldron; and he regards the sea as a pot of ointment,
| אחריו יאיר נתיב יחשב תהום לשיבה | 32 |
and the lowest part of the deep as a captive: he reckons the deep as [his] range.
| אין-על-עפר משלו העשו לבלי-חת | 33 |
There is nothing upon the earth like to him, formed to be sported with by my angels.
| את-כל-גבה יראה הוא מלך על-כל-בני-שחץ | 34 |
He beholds every high thing: and he is king of all that are in the waters.
