15 Look at Behemoth,

which I made along with you.

He eats grass like cattle.

16 Look at the strength of his backD

and the power in the muscles of his belly.

17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree;

the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together.

18 His bones are bronze tubes;

his limbs are like iron rods.

19 He is the foremost of God’s works;o

only his Maker can draw the sword against him.

20 The hills yield food for him,

while all sorts of wild animals play there.

21 He lies under the lotus plants,

hiding in the protectionE of marshy reeds.

22 Lotus plants cover him with their shade;

the willows by the brook surround him.

23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;

he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth.

24 Can anyone capture him while he looks on,F

or pierce his nose with snares?

41 Can you pull in Leviathanp with a hookq

or tie his tongue down with a rope?

2 Can you put a cordG through his nose

or pierce his jaw with a hook?r

3 Will he beg you for mercy

or speak softly to you?

4 Will he make a covenant with you

so that you can take him as a slave forever?s

5 Can you play with him like a bird

or put him on a leashH for your girls?

6 Will traders bargain for him

or divide him among the merchants?

7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons

or his head with fishing spears?

8 Lay aI hand on him.

You will remember the battle

and never repeat it!

9 Any hope of capturing him proves false.

Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him?

10 No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan;t

who then can stand against me?

11 Who confronted me, that I should repay him?

Everything under heaven belongs to me.a

12 I cannot be silent about his limbs,

his power, and his graceful proportions.

13 Who can strip off his outer covering?

Who can penetrate his double layer of armor?A,b

14 Who can open his jaws,B

surrounded by those terrifying teeth?

15 His pride is in his rows of scales,

closely sealed together.

16 One scale is so close to anotherC

that no air can pass between them.

17 They are joined to one another,

so closely connectedD they cannot be separated.

18 His snortingE flashes with light,

while his eyes are like the raysF of dawn.

19 Flaming torches shoot from his mouth;

fiery sparks fly out!

20 Smoke billows from his nostrilsc

as from a boiling pot or burning reeds.

21 His breath sets coals ablaze,

and flames pour out of his mouth.

22 Strength resides in his neck,

and dismay dances before him.

23 The folds of his flesh are joined together,

solid as metalG and immovable.

24 His heart is as hard as a rock,

as hard as a lower millstone!

25 When Leviathan rises, the mightyH are terrified;

they withdraw because of his thrashing.

26 The sword that reaches him will have no effect,

nor will a spear, dart, or arrow.

27 He regards iron as straw,

and bronze as rotten wood.

28 No arrow can make him flee;

slingstones become like stubble to him.

29 A club is regarded as stubble,

and he laughsd at the sound of a javelin.

30 His undersides are jagged potsherds,

spreading the mud like a threshing sledge.e

31 He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron;

he makes the sea like an ointment jar.

32 He leaves a shining wake behind him;I

one would think the deep had gray hair!

33 He has no equal on earth—

a creature devoid of fear!

34 He surveys everything that is haughty;

he is king over all the proud beasts.J

JOB REPLIES TO THE LORD

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:

2 IK know that you can do anything

and no plan of yours can be thwarted.f

3 You asked, “Who is this who conceals my counsel with ignorance?”g

Surely I spoke about things I did not understand,

things too wondrous for me toL know.h

4 You said, “Listen now, and I will speak.

When I questioni you, you will inform me.”

5 I had heard reports about you,

but now my eyesj have seen you.

6 Therefore, I reject my words and am sorry for them;

I am dust and ashes.M,N