41 “你岂能用鱼钩钓鳄鱼,
用绳索绑住它的舌头?
你岂能用绳子穿它的鼻子,
用钩子穿它的腮骨?
它岂会向你连连求饶,
对你说柔和的话?
它岂肯与你立约,
一生做你的奴隶?
你岂能拿它当小鸟玩耍,
或拴起来给幼女取乐?
渔夫们岂能把它当货物出售,
卖给商人?
你岂能在它皮上戳满长矛,
头上插满鱼叉?
你动手碰碰它,
就知道有何恶战,绝不会再碰。
企图捕捉它的都会失望,
人看到它就会心惊胆战。
10 再凶猛的人也不敢惹它。
这样,谁能在我面前站立得住?
11 谁给过我什么,要我偿还?
天下万物都是我的。

12 “论到它的四肢、大力和姣美的身体,
我不能缄默不言。
13 谁能剥去它的外皮?
谁能给它戴上辔头?
14 谁能打开它的口?
它的牙齿令人恐惧。
15 它的脊背覆着行行鳞甲,
牢牢地密封在一起,
16 紧密无间,
连气也透不进去。
17 鳞甲彼此相连相扣,
无法分开。
18 它打喷嚏时,水光四射;
它的眼睛发出晨光;
19 口中喷出火炬,
迸出火星;
20 鼻孔冒烟,
如沸腾的锅和燃烧的芦苇;
21 呼气可点燃煤炭,
口中喷出火焰;
22 颈项强而有力,
恐惧在它前面开路;
23 身上的皱褶紧密相连,
牢牢地密封在一起;
24 心坚如石,
硬如磨石。
25 它一站起来,勇士都害怕,
见它冲来,他们慌忙退缩。
26 刀剑挡不住它,
长矛、标枪、尖戟也无能为力。
27 它视铁如干草,
视铜如朽木。
28 利箭吓不跑它,
弹石在它看来只是碎秸;
29 棍棒无异于秸秆,
它嗤笑投来的标枪。
30 它腹部有锋利的瓦片,
在淤泥上留下道道耙痕。
31 它使深渊如锅翻腾,
大海如油锅滚动。
32 它游过后留下一道波光,
使深渊仿佛披上银发。
33 地上没有动物能与它相比,
像它那样无所畏惧。
34 它藐视群雄,
在高傲的百兽中称王。”

41 ¶ Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook or with the cord which thou lettest down on his tongue?

Canst thou put a hook into his nose or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

Will he make many supplications unto thee? Will he speak soft words unto thee?

Will he make a covenant with thee that thou shall take him for a slave for ever?

Wilt thou play with him as with a bird, or wilt thou tie him up for thy maidens?

Shall the companions make a banquet of him? Shall they part him among the merchants?

Canst thou cut his skin with knives or his head with a fish spear?

Lay thine hand upon him; thou shalt remember the battle and do no more.

Behold, your hope regarding him shall fail; for even at the sight of him they shall faint.

10 No one is so bold as to dare stir him up; who then shall be able to stand before me?

11 ¶ Who has preceded me, that I should repay him? All that is under the whole heaven is mine.

12 I will not conceal his lies, nor his might, nor the beauty of his order.

13 Who shall uncover the face of his garment? Or who shall come to him with a double bridle?

14 Who shall open the doors of his face? The orders of his teeth are terrible.

15 His scales {Heb. shields} are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

17 They are joined one to another; they stick together, that they cannot be separated.

18 By his sneezings lights are lit, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

20 Out of his nostrils goes forth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

21 His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.

22 In his neck dwells strength, and before him the work is undone.

23 The failings of his flesh are joined together; his flesh is firm in him and does not move.

24 His heart is as firm as a stone; as hard as a piece of the lower millstone.

25 Of his greatness, the mighty are afraid; by reason of breakings they remove sin from themselves.

26 When one catches up to him, no sword or spear or dart or coat of mail shall endure against him.

27 He esteems iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.

28 The arrow cannot make him flee; with him, slingstones are turned into stubble.

29 He counts any weapon as stubble; he laughs at the shaking of a spear.

30 Broken clay vessels are under him; he carves his imprint upon the mire.

31 He makes the deep to boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

32 He makes the path shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

33 Upon earth there is not his like, who behaves without fear.

34 He despises all exalted things; he is king over all the sons of pride.

41 “Can you catch Leviathan [C a large sea creature or monster; 3:8] on a fishhook
    or tie its tongue down with a rope?
Can you put a cord through its nose
    or ·a hook in its jaw [L pierce its jaw/cheek with a hook]?
Will it keep begging you for mercy
    and speak to you with ·gentle [soft; kind; tender] words?
Will it ·make [L cut] an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you
    and let you take it as your slave ·for life [L forever]?
Can you ·make a pet of Leviathan [L play with it] as you would a bird
    or put it on a leash for your girls?
Will ·traders [the fishing guild] try to ·bargain [haggle] with you for it?
    Will they divide it up among the merchants?
Can you stick ·darts [harpoons] all over its skin
    or fill its head with fishing spears?
If you put one hand on it,
    you will ·never forget [L remember] the battle,
    and you will never do it again!
·There is no hope of defeating it [Any hope of defeating/subduing it will prove a lie];
    just seeing it ·overwhelms people [L throws people down].
10 No one is ·brave [fierce] enough to ·make it angry [arouse it; stir it up],
    so who would be able to stand up against ·me [or it]?
11 ·No one [L Who…?] has ever ·given me anything that I must pay back [or confronted it and come out whole/safe],
    ·because everything under the sky belongs to me [or who—under the entire heavens?].

12 “I will ·speak [L not keep quiet] about Leviathan’s ·arms and legs [limbs],
    its great strength and ·well-formed body [L grace of form].
13 ·No one [L Who…?] can ·tear off [L expose] its outer ·hide [L garment]
    or ·poke [enter] through its double armor.
14 ·No one [L Who…?] can force open ·its great jaws [L the doors of its face];
    they are filled with frightening teeth.
15 It has rows of shields on its back
    that are tightly sealed together.
16 Each ·shield is so close to the next one [L draws near the other, so]
    that no air can go between them.
17 ·They are joined strongly to one another [L Each clings to its neighbor];
    they hold on to each other and cannot be ·separated [broken off].
18 When it ·snorts [sneezes], flashes of light are thrown out,
    and its eyes look like the light at dawn.
19 Flames blaze from its mouth;
    sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours out of its nose,
    as if coming from a large pot over a hot fire.
21 Its breath sets coals on fire,
    and flames come out of its mouth.
22 There is great strength in its neck.
    ·People are afraid and run away [or Violence leaps before it].
23 The folds of its skin are tightly joined;
    they are set and cannot be moved.
24 Its ·chest [L heart] is as hard as a rock,
    even as hard as a ·grinding stone [lower millstone].
25 The ·powerful [mighty; or gods] fear ·its terrible looks [L when it lifts itself up]
    and ·draw back in fear as it moves [or the waves miss their mark/retreat].
26 The sword that ·hits [approaches] it does not hurt it,
    nor the arrows, darts, and spears.
27 It ·treats [considers] iron as if it were straw
    and bronze metal as if it were rotten wood.
28 It does not run away from arrows;
    stones from slings are like chaff to it.
29 Clubs feel like ·pieces of straw [chaff] to it,
    and it laughs when they ·shake [rattle] a spear at it.
30 The underside of its body is like ·broken [or sharp] pieces of pottery.
    It leaves a trail in the mud like a threshing board.
31 It makes the deep sea ·bubble like a boiling [L boil like a] pot;
    it ·stirs up the sea like a pot of oil [L makes the sea like ointment].
32 ·When it swims [L After it], it leaves a shining path in the water
    that makes the sea look as if it had white hair.
33 Nothing else on earth is equal to it;
    it is a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all those who are ·too proud [proud; lofty];
    it is king over all proud creatures.”

Chapter 41

Whoever might vainly hope to do so
    need only see him to be overthrown.
No one is fierce enough to arouse him;
    who then dares stand before me?
Whoever has assailed me, I will pay back—
    Everything under the heavens is mine.
I need hardly mention his limbs,
    his strength, and the fitness of his equipment.
Who can strip off his outer garment,
    or penetrate his double armor?
Who can force open the doors of his face,
    close to his terrible teeth?
Rows of scales are on his back,
    tightly sealed together;
They are fitted so close to each other
    that no air can come between them;
So joined to one another
    that they hold fast and cannot be parted.
10 When he sneezes, light flashes forth;
    his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.
11 Out of his mouth go forth torches;
    sparks of fire leap forth.
12 From his nostrils comes smoke
    as from a seething pot or bowl.
13 His breath sets coals afire;
    a flame comes from his mouth.
14 Strength abides in his neck,
    and power leaps before him.
15 The folds of his flesh stick together,
    it is cast over him and immovable.
16 His heart is cast as hard as stone;
    cast as the lower millstone.
17 When he rises up, the gods are afraid;
    when he crashes down, they fall back.
18 Should a sword reach him, it will not avail;
    nor will spear, dart, or javelin.
19 He regards iron as chaff,
    and bronze as rotten wood.
20 No arrow will put him to flight;
    slingstones used against him are but straw.
21 Clubs he regards as straw;
    he laughs at the crash of the spear.
22 Under him are sharp pottery fragments,
    spreading a threshing sledge upon the mire.
23 He makes the depths boil like a pot;
    he makes the sea like a perfume bottle.
24 Behind him he leaves a shining path;
    you would think the deep had white hair.
25 Upon the earth there is none like him,
    he was made fearless.
26 He looks over all who are haughty,
    he is king over all proud beasts.