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40 Moreover Yahweh answered Job,

“Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty?
    He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

Then Job answered Yahweh,

“Behold, I am of small account. What will I answer you?
    I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
    Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,

“Now brace yourself like a man.
    I will question you, and you will answer me.
Will you even annul my judgment?
    Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?
Or do you have an arm like God?
    Can you thunder with a voice like him?

10 “Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity.
    Array yourself with honor and majesty.
11 Pour out the fury of your anger.
    Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low.
12 Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him.
    Crush the wicked in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together.
    Bind their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then I will also admit to you
    that your own right hand can save you.

15 “See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you.
    He eats grass as an ox.
16 Look now, his strength is in his thighs.
    His force is in the muscles of his belly.
17 He moves his tail like a cedar.
    The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are like tubes of bronze.
    His limbs are like bars of iron.

19 He is the chief of the ways of God.
    He who made him gives him his sword.
20 Surely the mountains produce food for him,
    where all the animals of the field play.
21 He lies under the lotus trees,
    in the covert of the reed, and the marsh.
22 The lotuses cover him with their shade.
    The willows of the brook surround him.
23 Behold, if a river overflows, he doesn’t tremble.
    He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth.
24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch,
    or pierce through his nose with a snare?

40 Then the Lord said to Job,

“Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
    You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”

Job Responds to the Lord

Then Job replied to the Lord,

“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
    I will cover my mouth with my hand.
I have said too much already.
    I have nothing more to say.”

The Lord Challenges Job Again

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:

“Brace yourself like a man,
    because I have some questions for you,
    and you must answer them.

“Will you discredit my justice
    and condemn me just to prove you are right?
Are you as strong as God?
    Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 All right, put on your glory and splendor,
    your honor and majesty.
11 Give vent to your anger.
    Let it overflow against the proud.
12 Humiliate the proud with a glance;
    walk on the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them in the dust.
    Imprison them in the world of the dead.
14 Then even I would praise you,
    for your own strength would save you.

15 “Take a look at Behemoth,[a]
    which I made, just as I made you.
    It eats grass like an ox.
16 See its powerful loins
    and the muscles of its belly.
17 Its tail is as strong as a cedar.
    The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze.
    Its limbs are bars of iron.
19 It is a prime example of God’s handiwork,
    and only its Creator can threaten it.
20 The mountains offer it their best food,
    where all the wild animals play.
21 It lies under the lotus plants,[b]
    hidden by the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotus plants give it shade
    among the willows beside the stream.
23 It is not disturbed by the raging river,
    not concerned when the swelling Jordan rushes around it.
24 No one can catch it off guard
    or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.

Footnotes

  1. 40:15 The identification of Behemoth is disputed, ranging from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient literature.
  2. 40:21 Or bramble bushes; also in 40:22.