Job 40
Christian Standard Bible
40 The Lord answered Job:
2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.[a]
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 I am so insignificant. How can I answer you?(A)
I place my hand over my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
twice, but now I can add nothing.(B)
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:(C)
7 Get ready to answer me like a man;
when I question(D) you, you will inform me.
8 Would you really challenge my justice?
Would you declare me guilty(E) to justify yourself?(F)
9 Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Adorn yourself with majesty(G) and splendor,
and clothe yourself with honor and glory.
11 Pour out your raging anger;(H)
look on every proud person and humiliate him.(I)
12 Look on every proud person and humble him;(J)
trample the wicked where they stand.[b]
13 Hide them together in the dust;
imprison them in the grave.[c]
14 Then I will confess to you
that your own right hand(K) can deliver you.(L)
15 Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you.
He eats grass like cattle.
16 Look at the strength of his back[d]
and the power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree;
the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together.
18 His bones are bronze tubes;
his limbs are like iron rods.
19 He is the foremost of God’s works;(M)
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.
20 The hills yield food for him,
while all sorts of wild animals play there.
21 He lies under the lotus plants,
hiding in the protection[e] of marshy reeds.
22 Lotus plants cover him with their shade;
the willows by the brook surround him.
23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;
he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture him while he looks on,[f]
or pierce his nose with snares?
Job 40
International Standard Version
The Lord Challenges Job Again
40 The Lord continued his response to Job by saying:
2 “Should the one who is fighting the Almighty find fault with him?[a]
Let God’s accuser answer.”
Job Acknowledges His Limitations
3 Then Job replied to the Lord. He said:
4 “I must look insignificant to you!
How can I answer you?
I’m speechless.[b]
5 I spoke once,
but I can’t answer;
I tried[c] a second time,
but I won’t do so anymore.”
The Lord Continues to Interrogate Job
6 The Lord answered Job from the wind storm and told him:
7 “Stand up[d] like a man!
I’ll ask you some questions,
and you give me some answers!
8 Indeed would you annul my justice and condemn me,
just so you can claim that you’re righteous?
9 Do you have strength[e] like God?
Can you create thunder with a sound[f] like he can?”
Can You Save Yourself?
10 “When you have adorned yourself with exalted majesty,
clothed yourself with splendor and dignity,[g]
11 dispensed the fury of your anger,
made sure[h] that you have humbled every proud person,
12 stared down and subdued every proud person,
trampled the wicked right where they are,
13 buried[i] them in the dust together,
and sent them bound to that secret place,[j]
14 then I will applaud you myself!
I’ll admit that you can deliver yourself by your own efforts!”
On Behemoth
15 “Please observe[k] Behemoth,[l] which I made along with you.
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Now take a look at the strength that he has in his loins,
and in the muscles of his abdomen.
17 His tail protrudes stiffly, like cedar;[m]
the sinews of his thigh interlink for strength.
18 His bones are conduits[n] of bronze;[o]
his strong bones are like bars of iron.
19 He is the grandest[p] of God’s undertakings,[q]
yet his creator is approaching him with his sword.[r]
20 Mountains produce food for him,
where all the wild animals frolic.
21 He lies under the lotus trees,
hiding under reeds and marshes.[s]
22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade,
and willows that line the wadis[t] surround him.
23 What you see as a raging river doesn’t alarm him;
he is confident when the Jordan overflows.
24 Are your eyes looking to capture him,
or to pierce his snout with a bridle?”
Footnotes
- Job 40:2 The Heb. lacks him
- Job 40:4 Lit. I put my hand over my mouth
- Job 40:5 The Heb. lacks tried
- Job 40:7 Lit. Gird up your loins
- Job 40:9 Lit. have an arm
- Job 40:9 Lit. voice
- Job 40:10 Lit. splendor and majesty
- Job 40:11 Lit. see
- Job 40:13 MT reads hide
- Job 40:13 I.e. the afterlife
- Job 40:15 Lit. look
- Job 40:15 I.e. an ancient, gigantic herbivore, living in Job’s time but now apparently extinct
- Job 40:17 I.e. a genus of coniferous evergreen in the family Pinaceae
- Job 40:18 Or channels
- Job 40:18 Or copper
- Job 40:19 Or first
- Job 40:19 Lit. ways
- Job 40:19 I.e. God was about to make Behemoth extinct
- Job 40:21 Lit. reed and marsh
- Job 40:22 I.e. seasonal streams that channel water during rain seasons but are dry at other times
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