איוב 41
| תמשך לויתן בחכה ובחבל תשקיע לשנו | 1 |
“[Think also about] (crocodiles/great sea dragons). Can you catch them with a fishhook or fasten their jaws with a rope?
| התשים אגמן באפו ובחוח תקב לחיו | 2 |
Can you put ropes through their noses [to control them] or thrust hooks through their jaws?
| הירבה אליך תחנונים אם-ידבר אליך רכות | 3 |
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]?
| היכרת ברית עמך תקחנו לעבד עולם | 4 |
Will they make an agreement with you to work for you, to be your slaves as long as they live?
| התשחק-בו כצפור ותקשרנו לנערותיך | 5 |
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]?
| יכרו עליו חברים יחצוהו בין כנענים | 6 |
Will merchants try to buy them [in the market]? Will they cut them up into pieces and sell the meat?
| התמלא בשכות עורו ובצלצל דגים ראשו | 7 |
Can you pierce their skins by throwing fishing spears at them? Can you pierce their heads with a harpoon?
| שים-עליו כפך זכר מלחמה אל-תוסף | 8 |
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!
| הן-תחלתו נכזבה הגם אל-מראיו יטל | 9 |
It is useless to try to subdue them. Anyone who tries to subdue one of them will lose his courage.
| לא-אכזר כי יעורנו ומי הוא לפני יתיצב | 10 |
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]
| מי הקדימני ואשלם תחת כל-השמים לי-הוא | 11 |
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!
| לא- (לו-) אחריש בדיו ודבר-גבורות וחין ערכו | 12 |
I will tell you about [how strong] crocodiles' legs [are] and how strong their well-formed bodies are.
| מי-גלה פני לבושו בכפל רסנו מי יבוא | 13 |
(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?)
| דלתי פניו מי פתח סביבות שניו אימה | 14 |
(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]
| גאוה אפיקי מגנים סגור חותם צר | 15 |
They have rows of scales on their back which are as hard as a rock (OR, tightly fastened together).
| אחד באחד יגשו ורוח לא-יבא ביניהם | 16 |
The scales are very close together, with the result that not even air can get between them.
| איש-באחיהו ידבקו יתלכדו ולא יתפרדו | 17 |
The scales are joined very closely to each other, and they cannot be separated.
| עטישתיו תהל אור ועיניו כעפעפי-שחר | 18 |
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.
| מפיו לפידים יהלכו כידודי אש יתמלטו | 19 |
[It is as though] sparks of fire pour out of their mouths [DOU].
| מנחיריו יצא עשן-- כדוד נפוח ואגמן | 20 |
Smoke pours out of their nostrils/noses like steam comes out of a pot that is put over a fire made from dry reeds.
| נפשו גחלים תלהט ולהב מפיו יצא | 21 |
Their breath can cause coals to blaze, and flames shoot out from their mouths.
| בצוארו ילין עז ולפניו תדוץ דאבה | 22 |
Their necks are very strong; wherever they go, they cause people to be very afraid.
| מפלי בשרו דבקו יצוק עליו בל-ימוט | 23 |
The folds in their flesh are very close together and are very hard/firm.
| לבו יצוק כמו-אבן ויצוק כפלח תחתית | 24 |
[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].
| משתו יגורו אלים משברים יתחטאו | 25 |
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.
| משיגהו חרב בלי תקום חנית מסע ושריה | 26 |
[People] [PRS] cannot injure them with swords, and spears or darts or javelins cannot injure them, either.
| יחשב לתבן ברזל לעץ רקבון נחושה | 27 |
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!
| לא-יבריחנו בן-קשת לקש נהפכו-לו אבני-קלע | 28 |
[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.
| כקש נחשבו תותח וישחק לרעש כידון | 29 |
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].
| תחתיו חדודי חרש ירפד חרוץ עלי-טיט | 30 |
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.
| ירתיח כסיר מצולה ים ישים כמרקחה | 31 |
They stir up the water and cause it to foam [as they churn/swim through it].
| אחריו יאיר נתיב יחשב תהום לשיבה | 32 |
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.
| אין-על-עפר משלו העשו לבלי-חת | 33 |
There are no creatures on earth that are as fearless as crocodiles.
| את-כל-גבה יראה הוא מלך על-כל-בני-שחץ | 34 |
They are the proudest of all the creatures; [it is as though] they [rule like] kings over all the other wild animals.”
