Job 40:1–41:8

And the Lord ^xsaid to Job:

²“Shall a faultfinder ^ycontend with the Almighty?

He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

Job Promises Silence

³Then Job answered the Lord and said:

⁴“Behold, I am ^zof small account; what shall I answer you?

^aI lay my hand on my mouth.

⁵I have spoken ^bonce, and I will not answer;

^btwice, but I will proceed no further.”

The Lord Challenges Job

⁶Then the Lord ^canswered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

^7d“Dress for action¹ like a man;

^eI will question you, and you make it known to me.

⁸Will you even put me in the wrong?

Will you condemn me that ^fyou may be in the right?

⁹Have you ^gan arm like God,

and can you thunder with ^ha voice like his?

¹⁰“Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;

ⁱclothe yourself with glory and splendor.

¹¹Pour out the overflowings of your anger,

and look on everyone who is ^jproud and abase him.

¹²Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low

and ^ktread down the wicked ^lwhere they stand.

^13mHide them all in ⁿthe dust together;

bind their faces in the world below.²

¹⁴Then will I also acknowledge to you

that your own ^oright hand can save you.

¹⁵“Behold, Behemoth,³

which I made as I made you;

he eats ^pgrass like an ox.

¹⁶Behold, his strength in his loins,

and his power in the muscles of his belly.

¹⁷He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;

the sinews of his thighs are knit together.

¹⁸His bones are tubes of bronze,

his limbs like bars of iron.

¹⁹“He is ^qthe first of ^rthe works⁴ of God;

let him who made him bring near his sword!

²⁰For the mountains yield food for him

where all the wild beasts play.

²¹Under the lotus plants he lies,

in the shelter of ^sthe reeds and in the marsh.

²²For his shade the lotus trees cover him;

the willows of the brook surround him.

²³Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;

he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.

²⁴Can one take him by his eyes,⁵

or pierce his nose with a snare?

41¹ “Can you draw out ^uLeviathan² with a fishhook

or press down his tongue with a cord?

²Can you put ^va rope in his nose

or pierce his jaw with ^va hook?

³Will he make many pleas to you?

Will he speak to you soft words?

⁴Will he make a covenant with you

to take him for ^wyour servant forever?

⁵Will you play with him as with a bird,

or will you put him on a leash for your girls?

⁶Will traders bargain over him?

Will they divide him up among the merchants?

⁷Can you fill his skin with harpoons

or his head with fishing spears?

⁸Lay your hands on him;

remember the battle—you will not do it again!