אִיּוֹב 41

1 תִּמְשֹׁ֣ךְ לִוְיָתָ֣ן בְּחַכָּ֑ה וּ֝בְחֶ֗בֶל תַּשְׁקִ֥יעַ לְשֹׁנֹֽו׃

Can you pull out Leviathan with a hook? Can you tie its mouth shut?

2 הֲתָשִׂ֣ים אַגְמֹ֣ון בְּאַפֹּ֑ו וּ֝בְחֹ֗וחַ תִּקֹּ֥וב לֶֽחֱיֹו׃

Can you thread a rope through its nose? Can you pass a hook through its jaw?

3 הֲיַרְבֶּ֣ה אֵ֭לֶיךָ תַּחֲנוּנִ֑ים אִם־יְדַבֵּ֖ר אֵלֶ֣יךָ רַכֹּֽות׃

Will it beg you to let it go? Or will it talk softly to you?

4 הֲיִכְרֹ֣ת בְּרִ֣ית עִמָּ֑ךְ תִּ֝קָּחֶ֗נּוּ לְעֶ֣בֶד עֹולָֽם׃

Will it make a contract with you? Will it agree to be your slave forever?

5 הֽ͏ַתְשַׂחֶק־בֹּ֖ו כַּצִּפֹּ֑ור וְ֝תִקְשְׁרֶ֗נּוּ לְנַעֲרֹותֶֽיךָ׃

Will you play with it like a pet bird? Will you put it on a leash for your girls?

6 יִכְר֣וּ עָ֭לָיו חַבָּרִ֑ים יֶ֝חֱצ֗וּהוּ בֵּ֣ין כְּֽנַעֲנִֽים׃

Will your trading partners decide on a price for him, and divide him up among the merchants?

7 הַֽתְמַלֵּ֣א בְשֻׂכֹּ֣ות עֹורֹ֑ו וּבְצִלְצַ֖ל דָּגִ֣ים רֹאשֹֽׁו׃

Can you pierce his skin with many harpoons, its head with fishing spears?

8 שִׂים־עָלָ֥יו כַּפֶּ֑ךָ זְכֹ֥ר מִ֝לְחָמָ֗ה אַל־תֹּוסַֽף׃

If you were to grab hold of it, imagine the battle you would have! You wouldn't do that again!

9 הֵן־תֹּחַלְתֹּ֥ו נִכְזָ֑בָה הֲגַ֖ם אֶל־מַרְאָ֣יו יֻטָֽל׃

Any hope to capture it is foolish. Anyone who tries is thrown to the ground.

10 לֹֽא־אַ֭כְזָר כִּ֣י יְעוּרֶ֑נּוּ וּמִ֥י ה֝֗וּא לְפָנַ֥י יִתְיַצָּֽב׃

Since no one has the courage to provoke Leviathan, who would dare to stand up against me?

11 מִ֣י הִ֭קְדִּימַנִי וַאֲשַׁלֵּ֑ם תַּ֖חַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם לִי־הֽוּא׃

Who has confronted me with any claim that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.

12 לֹא־ (לֹֽו)־אַחֲרִ֥ישׁ בַּדָּ֑יו וּדְבַר־גְּ֝בוּרֹ֗ות וְחִ֣ין עֶרְכֹּֽו׃

Let me tell you about Leviathan: its powerful legs and graceful proportions.

13 מִֽי־גִ֭לָּה פְּנֵ֣י לְבוּשֹׁ֑ו בְּכֶ֥פֶל רִ֝סְנֹ֗ו מִ֣י יָבֹֽוא׃

Who can remove its hide? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?

14 דַּלְתֵ֣י פָ֭נָיו מִ֣י פִתֵּ֑חַ סְבִיבֹ֖ות שִׁנָּ֣יו אֵימָֽה׃

Who can open its jaws? Its teeth are terrifying!

15 גַּ֭אֲוָה אֲפִיקֵ֣י מָֽגִנִּ֑ים סָ֝ג֗וּר חֹותָ֥ם צָֽר׃

Its pride is its rows of scales, closed tightly together.

16 אֶחָ֣ד בְּאֶחָ֣ד יִגַּ֑שׁוּ וְ֝ר֗וּחַ לֹא־יָבֹ֥וא בֵֽינֵיהֶֽם׃

Its scales are so close together that no air can pass between them.

17 אִישׁ־בְּאָחִ֥יהוּ יְדֻבָּ֑קוּ יִ֝תְלַכְּד֗וּ וְלֹ֣א יִתְפָּרָֽדוּ׃

Each scale attaches to the next; they lock together and nothing can penetrate them.

18 עֲ‍ֽ֭טִישֹׁתָיו תָּ֣הֶל אֹ֑ור וְ֝עֵינָ֗יו כְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָֽׁחַר׃

When it sneezes light shines out. Its eyes are like the rising sun.

19 מִ֭פִּיו לַפִּידִ֣ים יַהֲלֹ֑כוּ כִּידֹ֥ודֵי אֵ֝֗שׁ יִתְמַלָּֽטוּ׃

Flames pour from its mouth, sparks of fire shoot out.

20 מִ֭נְּחִירָיו יֵצֵ֣א עָשָׁ֑ן כְּד֖וּד נָפ֣וּחַ וְאַגְמֹֽן׃

Smoke comes from its nostrils, like steam from a kettle on a fire made of reeds.

21 נַ֭פְשֹׁו גֶּחָלִ֣ים תְּלַהֵ֑ט וְ֝לַ֗הַב מִפִּ֥יו יֵצֵֽא׃

Its breath sets fire to charcoal as flames shoot from its mouth.

22 בְּֽ֭צַוָּארֹו יָלִ֣ין עֹ֑ז וּ֝לְפָנָ֗יו תָּד֥וּץ דְּאָבָֽה׃

Its neck is powerful, and all who face him shake with terror.

23 מַפְּלֵ֣י בְשָׂרֹ֣ו דָבֵ֑קוּ יָצ֥וּק עָ֝לָ֗יו בַּל־יִמֹּֽוט׃

Its body is dense and solid, as if it is made from cast metal.

24 לִ֭בֹּו יָצ֣וּק כְּמֹו־אָ֑בֶן וְ֝יָצ֗וּק כְּפֶ֣לַח תַּחְתִּֽית׃

Its heart is rock-hard, like a millstone.

25 מִ֭שֵּׂתֹו יָג֣וּרוּ אֵלִ֑ים מִ֝שְּׁבָרִ֗ים יִתְחַטָּֽאוּ׃

When it rises, even the powerful are terrified; they retreat as it thrashes about.

26 מַשִּׂיגֵ֣הוּ חֶ֭רֶב בְּלִ֣י תָק֑וּם חֲנִ֖ית מַסָּ֣ע וְשִׁרְיָֽה׃

Swords just bounce off it, as do spears, darts, and javelins.

27 יַחְשֹׁ֣ב לְתֶ֣בֶן בַּרְזֶ֑ל לְעֵ֖ץ רִקָּבֹ֣ון נְחוּשָֽׁה׃

It brushes aside iron like straw, and bronze like rotten wood.

28 לֹֽא־יַבְרִיחֶ֥נּוּ בֶן־קָ֑שֶׁת לְ֝קַ֗שׁ נֶהְפְּכוּ־לֹ֥ו אַבְנֵי־קָֽלַע׃

Arrows cannot make it run away; stones from slingshots are like pieces of stubble.

29 כְּ֭קַשׁ נֶחְשְׁב֣וּ תֹותָ֑ח וְ֝יִשְׂחַ֗ק לְרַ֣עַשׁ כִּידֹֽון׃

Clubs are also treated like stubble; it laughs at the sound made by flying spears.

30 תַּ֭חְתָּיו חַדּ֣וּדֵי חָ֑רֶשׂ יִרְפַּ֖ד חָר֣וּץ עֲלֵי־טִֽיט׃

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 יַרְתִּ֣יחַ כַּסִּ֣יר מְצוּלָ֑ה יָ֝֗ם יָשִׂ֥ים כַּמֶּרְקָחָֽה׃

It churns up the sea like water in a boiling pot, like a steaming bowl when ointment is mixed.

32 אַ֭חֲרָיו יָאִ֣יר נָתִ֑יב יַחְשֹׁ֖ב תְּהֹ֣ום לְשֵׂיבָֽה׃

It leaves a glistening wake behind it as if the sea had white hair.

33 אֵֽין־עַל־עָפָ֥ר מָשְׁלֹ֑ו הֶ֝עָשׂ֗וּ לִבְלִי־חָֽת׃

There is nothing on earth like it: a creature that has no fear.

34 אֵֽת־כָּל־גָּבֹ֥הַּ יִרְאֶ֑ה ה֝֗וּא מֶ֣לֶךְ עַל־כָּל־בְּנֵי־שָֽׁחַץ׃ ס

It looks down on all other creatures. It is the proudest of all.”