Job: What Can I Say?

40 Then the Lord said to Job,

“Will the faultfinder (A)contend with the Almighty?
Let him who (B)reproves God answer it.”

Then Job answered the Lord and said,

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I (C)lay my hand on my mouth.
“Once I have spoken, and (D)I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”

God Questions Job

Then the (E)Lord answered Job out of the storm and said,

“Now (F)gird up your loins like a man;
I will (G)ask you, and you instruct Me.
“Will you really (H)annul My judgment?
Will you (I)condemn Me (J)that you may be justified?
“Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you (K)thunder with a voice like His?

10 (L)Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 “Pour out (M)the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is (N)proud, and make him low.
12 “Look on everyone who is proud, and (O)humble him,
And (P)tread down the wicked [a]where they stand.
13 (Q)Hide them in the dust together;
Bind [b]them in the hidden place.
14 “Then I will also [c]confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.

God’s Power Shown in Creatures

15 “Behold now, [d]Behemoth, which (R)I made [e]as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16 “Behold now, his strength in his loins
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 “He bends his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 “His bones are tubes of bronze;
His [f]limbs are like bars of iron.

19 “He is the (S)first of the ways of God;
Let his (T)maker bring near his sword.
20 “Surely the mountains (U)bring him food,
And all the beasts of the field (V)play there.
21 “Under the lotus plants he lies down,
In the covert of the reeds and the marsh.
22 “The lotus plants cover him with [g]shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23 “If a river [h]rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the (W)Jordan rushes to his mouth.
24 “Can anyone capture him [i]when he is on watch,
With [j]barbs can anyone pierce his nose?

Footnotes

  1. Job 40:12 Lit under them
  2. Job 40:13 Or their faces
  3. Job 40:14 Or praise you
  4. Job 40:15 Or the hippopotamus
  5. Job 40:15 Lit with
  6. Job 40:18 Lit bones
  7. Job 40:22 Lit his shade
  8. Job 40:23 Or oppresses
  9. Job 40:24 Lit in his eyes
  10. Job 40:24 Lit snares

Job Places His Hand over His Mouth

40 Then Yahweh answered Job and said,

“Will the faultfinder (A)contend with the Almighty?
Let him who (B)reproves God answer it.”

Then Job answered Yahweh and said,

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I respond to You?
I (C)place my hand over my mouth.
Once I have spoken, and (D)I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”

Yahweh Will Ask Job

Then (E)Yahweh answered Job out of the [a]whirlwind and said,

“Now (F)gird up your loins like a man;
I will (G)ask you, and you make Me know.
Will you really (H)annul My judgment?
Will you (I)condemn Me (J)that you may be justified?
Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you (K)thunder with a voice like His?

10 (L)Adorn yourself with exaltation and loftiness,
And clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
11 Pour out (M)the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is (N)proud, and make him low.
12 Look on everyone who is proud, and (O)humble him,
And (P)tread down the wicked [b]in their place.
13 (Q)Hide them in the dust together;
Bind their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then I will also praise you,
That your own right hand can save you.

Behold the Behemoth

15 “Behold now, [c]Behemoth, which (R)I made along with you;
It eats grass like an ox.
16 Behold now, its power in its loins
And its vigor in the muscles of its belly.
17 It hangs its tail like a cedar;
The sinews of its thighs are knit together.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze;
Its [d]limbs are like bars of iron.

19 “It is the (S)first of the ways of God;
Let its (T)Maker bring near its sword.
20 Surely the mountains (U)bring it food,
And all the beasts of the field (V)play there.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies down,
In the hidden place of the reeds and the marsh.
22 The lotus plants cover it with [e]shade;
The willows of the brook surround it.
23 If a river oppresses, it is not alarmed;
It is secure, though the (W)Jordan bursts forth to its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it before its eyes,
With snares can anyone pierce its nose?

Footnotes

  1. Job 40:6 Or storm
  2. Job 40:12 Lit under them
  3. Job 40:15 Possibly the hippopotamus
  4. Job 40:18 Lit bones
  5. Job 40:22 Lit his shade

Job Says What Can I Say?

40 Then the Lord said to Job,

“Will the faultfinder (A)contend with the Almighty?
Let him who (B)rebukes God [a]give an answer.”

Then Job answered the Lord and said,

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I say in response to You?
I (C)put my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and (D)I will not reply;
Or twice, and I will add nothing more.”

God Questions Job

Then the (E)Lord answered Job from the whirlwind and said,

“Now [b](F)tighten the belt on your waist like a man;
I will (G)ask you, and you instruct Me.
Will you really (H)nullify My judgment?
Will you (I)condemn Me (J)so that you may be justified?
Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you (K)thunder with a voice like His?

10 (L)Adorn yourself with pride and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 Let out your (M)outbursts of anger,
And look at everyone who is (N)arrogant, and humble him.
12 Look at everyone who is arrogant, and (O)humble him,
And (P)trample down the wicked [c]where they stand.
13 (Q)Hide them together in the dust;
Imprison [d]them in the hidden place.
14 Then I will also [e]confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.

God’s Power Shown in Creatures

15 “Behold, [f]Behemoth, which (R)I made [g]as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Behold, his strength in his waist,
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He hangs his tail like a cedar;
The tendons of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze;
His [h]limbs are like bars of iron.

19 “He is the (S)first of the ways of God;
Let his (T)Maker bring His sword near.
20 Indeed the [i]mountains (U)bring him food,
And all the animals of the field (V)play there.
21 He lies down under the lotus plants,
In the hiding place of the reeds and the marsh.
22 The lotus plants cover him with [j]shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23 If a river [k]rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the (W)Jordan rushes to his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture him [l]when he is on watch,
Can anyone pierce his nose with barbs?

Footnotes

  1. Job 40:2 Lit answer it
  2. Job 40:7 I.e., as if for battle
  3. Job 40:12 Lit under them
  4. Job 40:13 Lit their faces
  5. Job 40:14 Or praise you
  6. Job 40:15 I.e., a powerful animal, possibly a hippopotamus
  7. Job 40:15 Lit with you
  8. Job 40:18 Lit bones
  9. Job 40:20 I.e., the mountain streams
  10. Job 40:22 Lit his shade
  11. Job 40:23 Or oppresses
  12. Job 40:24 Lit in his eyes