Job 41:1-10

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?
²Can you tie it with a rope through the nose
    or pierce its jaw with a spike?
³Will it beg you for mercy
    or implore you for pity?
⁴Will it agree to work for you,
    to be your slave for life?
⁵Can you make it a pet like a bird,
    or give it to your little girls to play with?
⁶Will merchants try to buy it
    to sell it in their shops?
⁷Will its hide be hurt by spears
    or its head by a harpoon?
⁸If 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.
¹⁰And since no one dares to disturb it,
    who then can stand up to me?

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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.