Job 41-42
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Challenge Continues
41 [a]“Can you catch Leviathan[b] with a hook
or put a noose around its jaw?
2 Can you tie it with a rope through the nose
or pierce its jaw with a spike?
3 Will it beg you for mercy
or implore you for pity?
4 Will it agree to work for you,
to be your slave for life?
5 Can you make it a pet like a bird,
or give it to your little girls to play with?
6 Will merchants try to buy it
to sell it in their shops?
7 Will its hide be hurt by spears
or its head by a harpoon?
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will certainly remember the battle that follows.
You won’t try that again!
9 [c]No, it is useless to try to capture it.
The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down.
10 And since no one dares to disturb it,
who then can stand up to me?
11 Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?
Everything under heaven is mine.
12 “I want to emphasize Leviathan’s limbs
and its enormous strength and graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its hide,
and who can penetrate its double layer of armor?[d]
14 Who could pry open its jaws?
For its teeth are terrible!
15 The scales on its back are like[e] rows of shields
tightly sealed together.
16 They are so close together
that no air can get between them.
17 Each scale sticks tight to the next.
They interlock and cannot be penetrated.
18 “When it sneezes, it flashes light!
Its eyes are like the red of dawn.
19 Lightning leaps from its mouth;
flames of fire flash out.
20 Smoke streams from its nostrils
like steam from a pot heated over burning rushes.
21 Its breath would kindle coals,
for flames shoot from its mouth.
22 “The tremendous strength in Leviathan’s neck
strikes terror wherever it goes.
23 Its flesh is hard and firm
and cannot be penetrated.
24 Its heart is hard as rock,
hard as a millstone.
25 When it rises, the mighty are afraid,
gripped by terror.
26 No sword can stop it,
no spear, dart, or javelin.
27 Iron is nothing but straw to that creature,
and bronze is like rotten wood.
28 Arrows cannot make it flee.
Stones shot from a sling are like bits of grass.
29 Clubs are like a blade of grass,
and it laughs at the swish of javelins.
30 Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass.
It plows up the ground as it drags through the mud.
31 “Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion.
It stirs the depths like a pot of ointment.
32 The water glistens in its wake,
making the sea look white.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal,
no other creature so fearless.
34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest.
It is the king of beasts.”
Job Responds to the Lord
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
5 I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
Conclusion: The Lord Blesses Job
7 After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
10 When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! 11 Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money[f] and a gold ring.
12 So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.
16 Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. 17 Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.
Footnotes
- 41:1a Verses 41:1-8 are numbered 40:25-32 in Hebrew text.
- 41:1b The identification of Leviathan is disputed, ranging from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient literature.
- 41:9 Verses 41:9-34 are numbered 41:1-26 in Hebrew text.
- 41:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads its bridle?
- 41:15 As in some Greek manuscripts and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew reads Its pride is in its.
- 42:11 Hebrew a kesitah; the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known.
Job 41-42
New International Version
41 [a]“Can you pull in Leviathan(A) with a fishhook(B)
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose(C)
or pierce its jaw with a hook?(D)
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy?(E)
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?(F)
5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6 Will traders barter for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?(G)
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!(H)
9 Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.(I)
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.(J)
Who then is able to stand against me?(K)
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?(L)
Everything under heaven belongs to me.(M)
12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,(N)
its strength(O) and its graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor[b]?(P)
14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth,(Q)
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15 Its back has[c] rows of shields
tightly sealed together;(R)
16 each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
17 They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.(S)
19 Flames(T) stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from its nostrils(U)
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 Its breath(V) sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.(W)
22 Strength(X) resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
24 Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.(Y)
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;(Z)
they retreat before its thrashing.(AA)
26 The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.(AB)
27 Iron it treats like straw(AC)
and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee;(AD)
slingstones are like chaff to it.
29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw;(AE)
it laughs(AF) at the rattling of the lance.
30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.(AG)
31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron(AH)
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.(AI)
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal(AJ)—
a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all that are haughty;(AK)
it is king over all that are proud.(AL)”
Job
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;(AM)
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.(AN)
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’(AO)
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.(AP)
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’(AQ)
5 My ears had heard of you(AR)
but now my eyes have seen you.(AS)
6 Therefore I despise myself(AT)
and repent(AU) in dust and ashes.”(AV)
Epilogue
7 After the Lord had said these things to Job(AW), he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends,(AX) because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.(AY) 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams(AZ) and go to my servant Job(BA) and sacrifice a burnt offering(BB) for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer(BC) and not deal with you according to your folly.(BD) You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”(BE) 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite(BF) did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.(BG)
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes(BH) and gave him twice as much as he had before.(BI) 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before(BJ) came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him,(BK) and each one gave him a piece of silver[d] and a gold ring.
12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.(BL)
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