Job 40–41

¹And Jehovah doth answer Job, and saith:— ²Is the striver with the Mighty instructed? The reprover of God, let him answer it. ³And Job answereth Jehovah, and saith:— ⁴Lo, I have been vile, What do I return to Thee? My hand I have placed on my mouth. ⁵Once I have spoken, and I answer not, And twice, and I add not.

⁶And Jehovah answereth Job out of the whirlwind, and saith:— ⁷Gird, I pray thee, as a man, thy loins, I ask thee, and cause thou Me to know. ⁸Dost thou also make void My judgment? Dost thou condemn Me, That thou mayest be righteous? ⁹And an arm like God hast thou? And with a voice like Him dost thou thunder? ¹⁰Put on, I pray thee, excellency and loftiness, Yea, honour and beauty put on. ¹¹Scatter abroad the wrath of thine anger, And see every proud one, and make him low. ¹²See every proud one—humble him, And tread down the wicked in their place. ¹³Hide them in the dust together, Their faces bind in secret. ¹⁴And even I—I do praise thee, For thy right hand giveth salvation to thee.

¹⁵Lo, I pray thee, Behemoth, that I made with thee: Grass as an ox he eateth. ¹⁶Lo, I pray thee, his power is in his loins, And his strength in the muscles of his belly. ¹⁷He doth bend his tail as a cedar, The sinews of his thighs are wrapped together, ¹⁸His bones are tubes of brass, His bones are as a bar of iron. ¹⁹He is a beginning of the ways of God, His Maker bringeth nigh his sword; ²⁰For food do mountains bear for him, And all the beasts of the field play there. ²¹Under shades he lieth down, In a secret place of reed and mire. ²²Cover him do shades, with their shadow, Cover him do willows of the brook. ²³Lo, a flood oppresseth—he doth not haste, He is confident though Jordan Doth come forth unto his mouth. ²⁴Before his eyes doth one take him, With snares doth one pierce the nose?

Chapter 41

¹Dost thou draw leviathan with an angle? And with a rope thou lettest down—his tongue? ²Dost thou put a reed in his nose? And with a thorn pierce his jaw? ³Doth he multiply unto thee supplications? Doth he speak unto thee tender things? ⁴Doth he make a covenant with thee? Dost thou take him for a servant age-during? ⁵Dost thou play with him as a bird? And dost thou bind him for thy damsels? ⁶(Feast upon him do companions, They divide him among the merchants!) ⁷Dost thou fill with barbed irons his skin? And with fish-spears his head? ⁸Place on him thy hand, Remember the battle—do not add! ⁹Lo, the hope of him is found a liar, Also at his appearance is not one cast down? ¹⁰None so fierce that he doth awake him, And who is he before Me stationeth himself?

¹¹Who hath brought before Me and I repay? Under the whole heavens it is mine. ¹²I do not keep silent concerning his parts, And the matter of might, And the grace of his arrangement. ¹³Who hath uncovered the face of his clothing? Within his double bridle who doth enter? ¹⁴The doors of his face who hath opened? Round about his teeth are terrible. ¹⁵A pride—strong ones of shields, Shut up—a close seal. ¹⁶One unto another they draw nigh, And air doth not enter between them. ¹⁷One unto another they adhere, They stick together and are not separated. ¹⁸His sneezings cause light to shine, And his eyes are as the eyelids of the dawn. ¹⁹Out of his mouth do flames go, sparks of fire escape. ²⁰Out of his nostrils goeth forth smoke, As a blown pot and reeds. ²¹His breath setteth coals on fire, And a flame from his mouth goeth forth. ²²In his neck lodge doth strength, And before him doth grief exult. ²³The flakes of his flesh have adhered—Firm upon him—it is not moved. ²⁴His heart is firm as a stone, Yea, firm as the lower piece. ²⁵From his rising are the mighty afraid, From breakings they keep themselves free. ²⁶The sword of his overtaker standeth not, Spear—dart—and lance. ²⁷He reckoneth iron as straw, brass as rotten wood. ²⁸The son of the bow doth not cause him to flee, Turned by him into stubble are stones of the sling. ²⁹As stubble have darts been reckoned, And he laugheth at the shaking of a javelin. ³⁰Under him are sharp points of clay, He spreadeth gold on the mire. ³¹He causeth to boil as a pot the deep, The sea he maketh as a pot of ointment. ³²After him he causeth a path to shine, One thinketh the deep to be hoary. ³³There is not on the earth his like, That is made without terror. ³⁴Every high thing he doth see, He is king over all sons of pride.

Chapter 42