Job 40
Expanded Bible
40 The Lord answered and said to Job:
2 “Will the person who ·argues [contends] with the Almighty correct him?
Let the person who ·accuses [reproves] God answer him.”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am ·not worthy [small]; I cannot answer you anything,
so I will put my hand over my mouth [C to indicate no more talking].
5 I spoke one time, but I will not answer again;
I even spoke two times, but I will ·say [add] nothing more.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job from the ·storm [whirlwind]:
7 “·Be strong [Brace yourself; L Gird your loins], like a man!
I will ask you questions,
and you must ·answer [inform] me [38:3].
8 Would you ·say that I am unfair [discredit my justice]?
Would you ·blame [condemn] me to make yourself look ·right [righteous]?
9 ·Are you [L Is your arm] as strong as God?
Can your voice thunder like his?
10 If so, then decorate yourself with ·glory [loftiness] and ·beauty [pride];
dress in ·honor [splendor] and ·greatness [majesty] as if they were clothing.
11 Let your great anger ·punish [L loose];
look at the proud and bring them down.
12 Look at the proud and make them ·humble [submit].
Crush the wicked wherever they ·are [stand].
13 ·Bury [L Hide] them all in the ·dirt [dust] together;
·cover [hide] their faces in the ·grave [L hidden place].
14 If you can do that, then I myself will ·praise [acknowledge] you,
because ·you are strong enough to save yourself [L your right hand has given you the victory].
15 “Look at Behemoth, [C a large land animal or monster],
which I made just as I made you.
It eats grass like an ox.
16 Look at the strength it has in its ·body [L loins];
the muscles of its stomach are powerful.
17 Its tail ·is [stiffens] like a cedar tree;
the ·muscles [sinews] of its thighs are woven together.
18 Its bones are like tubes of bronze;
its legs are like bars of iron.
19 It is one of the first of God’s works,
but its Maker can ·destroy it [L approach it with a sword].
20 The hills, where the wild animals play,
provide food for it.
21 It ·lies [lives] under the lotus plants,
hidden by the ·tall grass in the swamp [reeds of the marsh].
22 The lotus plants ·hide [cover] it in their shadow;
the poplar trees by the ·streams [wadis] surround it.
23 If the river ·floods [grows turbulent], it will not ·be afraid [or hurry away];
it is ·safe [confident; secure] even if the Jordan River rushes to its mouth.
24 Can anyone ·blind its eyes and capture it [or take it with a hook]?
Can anyone ·put hooks in its nose [pierce its nose with a snare]?
Job 40
Amplified Bible
Job: What Can I Say?
40 Then the Lord said to Job,
2
“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who disputes with God answer it.”
3 Then Job replied to the Lord and said,
4
“Behold, I am of little importance and contemptible; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.(A)
5
“I have spoken once, but I will not reply again—
Indeed, twice [I have answered], and I will add nothing further.”
God Questions Job
6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying,
7
“Now [a]gird up your loins (prepare yourself) like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me.
8
“Will you really annul My judgment and set it aside as void?
Will you condemn Me [your God] that you may [appear to] be righteous and justified?
9
“Have you an arm like God,
And can you thunder with a voice like His?
10
“Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity [since you question the Almighty],
And array yourself with honor and majesty.
11
“Pour out the overflowings of your wrath,
And look at everyone who is proud and make him low.
12
Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him,
And [if you are so able] tread down the wicked where they stand.
13
“[Crush and] hide them in the dust together;
Shut them up in the hidden place [the house of death].
14
“[If you can do all this, Job, proving your divine power] then I [God] will also praise you and acknowledge
That your own right hand can save you.
God’s Power Shown in Creatures
15
“Behold now, [b]Behemoth, which I created as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16
“See now, his strength is in his loins
And his power is in the muscles and sinews of his belly.
17
“He sways his tail like a cedar;
The tendons of his thighs are twisted and knit together [like a rope].
18
“His bones are tubes of bronze;
His [c]limbs are like bars of iron.
19
“He is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God;
[Only] He who made him can bring near His sword [to master him].
20
“Surely the mountains bring him food,
And all the wild animals play there.
21
“He lies down under the lotus plants,
In the hidden shelter of the reeds in the marsh.
22
“The lotus plants cover him with their shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23
“If a river rages and overflows, he does not tremble;
He is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth.
24
“Can anyone capture him when he is on watch,
Or pierce his nose with barbs [to trap him]?
Footnotes
- Job 40:7 See note 38:3.
- Job 40:15 Or the hippopotamus. Although Behemoth cannot be identified with certainty, the biblical description seems most like the hippopotamus. In ancient times it may have been even more formidable than today. In Job’s day the hippopotamus was the largest known creature, was commonly found in the lower Nile River, and may also have existed in the Jordan.
- Job 40:18 Lit bones.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
