Job 40:6–41:9

⁶Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: ^t

⁷Get ready to answer Me like a man;

When I question ^uyou, you will inform Me.

⁸Would you really challenge My justice?

Would you declare Me guilty ^vto justify yourself? ^w

⁹Do you have an arm like God’s?

Can you thunder with a voice like His?

¹⁰Adorn yourself with majesty ^xand splendor,

and clothe yourself with honor and glory.

¹¹Unleash your raging anger; ^y

look on every proud person and humiliate him. ^z

¹²Look on every proud person and humble him; ^a

trample the wicked where they stand. ^b

¹³Hide them together in the dust;

imprison them in the grave. ^c

¹⁴Then I will confess to you

that your own right hand ^dcan deliver you. ^e

¹⁵Look at Behemoth,

which I made along with you.

He eats grass like an ox.

¹⁶Look at the strength of his loins

and the power in the muscles of his belly.

¹⁷He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree;

the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together.

¹⁸His bones are bronze tubes;

his limbs are like iron rods.

¹⁹He is the foremost of God’s works; ^f

only his Maker can draw the sword against him.

²⁰The hills yield food for him,

while all sorts of wild animals play there.

²¹He lies under the lotus plants,

hiding in the protection ^gof marshy reeds.

²²Lotus plants cover him with their shade;

the willows by the brook surround him.

²³Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;

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

²⁴Can anyone capture him while he looks on, ^h

or pierce his nose with snares?

41ⁱCan you pull in Leviathan ^jwith a hook ^k

or tie his tongue down with a rope?

²Can you put a cord ^lthrough his nose

or pierce his jaw with a hook? ^m

³Will he beg you for mercy

or speak softly to you?

⁴Will he make a covenant with you

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

⁵Can you play with him like a bird

or put him on a leash ^ofor your girls?

⁶Will traders bargain for him

or divide him among the merchants?

⁷Can you fill his hide with harpoons

or his head with fishing spears?

⁸Lay a ^phand on him.

You will remember the battle

and never repeat it!

^9qAny hope of capturing him proves false.

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