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41 Canst thou draw out [a]leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
Canst thou put [b]a rope into his nose?
Or pierce his jaw through with a [c]hook?
Will he make many supplications unto thee?
Or will he speak soft words unto thee?
Will he make a covenant with thee,
That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever?
Wilt thou play with him as with a bird?
Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
Will the bands of fishermen make traffic of him?
Will they part him among the merchants?
Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons,
Or his head with fish-spears?
Lay thy hand upon him;
Remember the battle, and do so no more.
Behold, the hope of him is in vain:
Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up;
Who then is he that can stand before me?
11 Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him?
Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

12 I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.
13 Who can [d]strip off his outer garment?
Who shall come within his jaws?
14 Who can open the doors of his face?
[e]Round about his teeth is terror.
15 His [f]strong scales 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, so that they cannot be sundered.
18 His sneezings flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning torches,
And sparks of fire leap forth.
20 Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth,
As of a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 His breath kindleth coals,
And a flame goeth forth from his mouth.
22 In his neck abideth strength,
And terror danceth before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together:
They are firm upon him; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone;
Yea, firm as the nether millstone.
25 When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid:
By reason of consternation they are beside themselves.
26 If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail;
Nor the spear, the dart, nor the [g]pointed shaft.
27 He counteth iron as straw,
And brass as rotten wood.
28 The [h]arrow cannot make him flee:
Sling-stones are turned with him into stubble.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble:
He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin.
30 His underparts are like sharp potsherds:
He spreadeth as it were a threshing-wain upon the mire.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot:
He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He maketh a path to shine after him;
One would think the deep to be hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like,
That is made without fear.
34 He beholdeth everything that is high:
He is king over all the sons of pride.

Footnotes

  1. Job 41:1 That is, the crocodile.
  2. Job 41:2 Hebrew a rope of rushes.
  3. Job 41:2 Or, spike
  4. Job 41:13 Hebrew uncover the face of his garment.
  5. Job 41:14 Or, His teeth are terrible round about
  6. Job 41:15 Or, courses of scales. Hebrew channels of shields.
  7. Job 41:26 Or, coat of mail
  8. Job 41:28 Hebrew son of the bow.

41 [a] “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or[b] can you tie down its mouth with a cord?[c]
Can you put a rope in its nose?
Or[d] can you pierce its jawbone with a hook?
Will it make numerous pleas for mercy to you?
Or will it speak gentle words to you?
Will it make a covenant with you?
Will you take it as a slave forever?
Will you play with it as with birds
and put it on a leash for your girls?
Will guildsmen bargain over it?
Will they divide it between tradesmen?
Can you fill its kin with harpoons
or[e] its head with fish spears?
Lay your hands on it;
think about the battle—you will not do it again!
“Look, the hope of capturing it[f] is false.
Will one be hurled down even at its sight?
10 Is it not fierce when somebody stirs it?
Who then is he who would stand before it?[g]
11 Who has come to confront me, that[h] I should repay him?
Under all the heavens, it belongs to me.[i]
12 “I will not keep quiet concerning its limbs
or[j] concerning the extent of its might and the gracefulness of its frame.
13 Who can strip off its outer covering?[k]
Who can penetrate its double harness?
14 Who can open the doors of its face?
Its teeth all around are fearsome.
15 Its back[l] has scales of shields;
it is shut up closely as with a seal.
16 They are close to one another[m]
even[n] the air cannot come between them.
17 They are joined one to another;[o]
they cling together and cannot be separated.
18 “Its snorting flashes forth light,
and its eyes are red like dawn.[p]
19 Torches go from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke comes from its nostrils
as from a kettle boiling and burning bulrushes.
21 Its breath kindles charcoal,
and a flame comes from its mouth.
22 “Strength abides in its neck,
and dismay[q] dances before it.[r]
23 Its flesh’s folds of skin cling together;
it is cast on it—it will not be moved.
24 Its heart is cast as stone;
yes,[s] it is cast as the lower millstone.
25 When it raises itself,[t] the mighty ones are terrified;
they retreat because of its thrashing.
26 Reaching it with the sword does not avail,
nor with the spear, the dart, or[u] the javelin.
27 It regards iron as straw,
bronze as rotten wood.
28 An arrow[v] will not make it flee;
sling stones are turned to stubble for it.
29 Clubs are regarded as stubble,
and it laughs at the short sword’s rattle.
30 “Its underparts are shards of a potsherd;
it moves over mud like a threshing sledge.
31 It makes the deep boil like a cooking pot;
it makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 Behind it, it leaves a glistening wake;[w]
one would think that the deep has gray hair.
33 On the ground it has no equal[x]
a[y] creature without fear.
34 It observes all the lofty;
it is king over all that are proud.”[z]

Footnotes

  1. Job 41:1 Job 41:1–34 in the English Bible is 40:25–41:26 in the Hebrew Bible
  2. Job 41:1 Hebrew “And”
  3. Job 41:1 Literally “with a cord can you press down its tongue”
  4. Job 41:2 Hebrew “And”
  5. Job 41:7 Hebrew “and”
  6. Job 41:9 Literally “its hope”
  7. Job 41:10 Or “Who is he thenwho could stand before me?”; literally “to the face of me”
  8. Job 41:11 Hebrew “and”
  9. Job 41:11 Literally “to me”
  10. Job 41:12 Hebrew “and”
  11. Job 41:13 Literally “the surface of its garment”
  12. Job 41:15 LXX; or “pride”
  13. Job 41:16 Literally “one to one”
  14. Job 41:16 Hebrew “and”
  15. Job 41:17 Literally “a man to his brother”
  16. Job 41:18 Literally “like eyelids of dawn”
  17. Job 41:22 Or “strength”
  18. Job 41:22 Literally “to the face of him/it”
  19. Job 41:24 Hebrew “and”
  20. Job 41:25 Literally “From his/its rising up”
  21. Job 41:26 Hebrew “and”
  22. Job 41:28 Literally “A son of a bow”
  23. Job 41:32 Literally “it lights up the path”
  24. Job 41:33 Literally “There is not on the ground its likeness”
  25. Job 41:33 Hebrew “the”
  26. Job 41:34 Literally “over all sons of pride”