Job 41
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
41 [a]“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook
or press down its tongue with a cord?(A)
2 Can you put a rope in its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?(B)
3 Will it make many supplications to you?
Will it speak soft words to you?
4 Will it make a covenant with you
to be taken as your servant forever?
5 Will you play with it as with a bird
or put it on a leash for your young women?
6 Will traders bargain over it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its skin with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
8 Lay hands on it;
think of the battle; you will not do it again!
9 [b]Any hope of capturing it[c] will be disappointed;
one is overwhelmed even at the sight of it.
10 No one is so fierce as to dare to stir it up.
Who can stand before it?[d](C)
11 Who can confront it[e] and be safe?[f]
—under the whole heaven, who?[g](D)
12 “I will not keep silent concerning its limbs
or its mighty strength or its splendid frame.
13 Who can strip off its outer garment?
Who can penetrate its double coat of mail?[h]
14 Who can open the doors of its face?
There is terror all around its teeth.
15 Its back[i] is made of shields in rows,
shut up closely as with a seal.
16 One is so near to another
that no air can come between them.
17 They are joined one to another;
they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18 Its sneezes flash forth light,
and its eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.(E)
19 From its mouth go flaming torches;
sparks of fire leap out.
20 Out of its nostrils comes smoke,
as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 Its breath kindles coals,
and a flame comes out of its mouth.
22 In its neck abides strength,
and terror dances before it.
23 The folds of its flesh cling together;
it is firmly cast and immovable.
24 Its heart is as hard as stone,
as hard as the lower millstone.
25 When it raises itself up the gods are afraid;
at the crashing they are beside themselves.
26 Though the sword reaches it, it does not avail,
nor does the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27 It counts iron as straw
and bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make it flee;
slingstones, for it, are turned to chaff.
29 Clubs are counted as chaff;
it laughs at the rattle of javelins.
30 Its underparts are like sharp potsherds;
it spreads itself like a threshing sledge on the mire.
31 It makes the deep boil like a pot;
it makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 It leaves a shining wake behind it;
one would think the deep to be white-haired.
33 On earth it has no equal,
a creature without fear.(F)
34 It surveys everything that is lofty;
it is king over all that are proud.”
Job 41
Lexham English Bible
41 [a] “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or[b] can you tie down its mouth with a cord?[c]
2 Can you put a rope in its nose?
Or[d] can you pierce its jawbone with a hook?
3 Will it make numerous pleas for mercy to you?
Or will it speak gentle words to you?
4 Will it make a covenant with you?
Will you take it as a slave forever?
5 Will you play with it as with birds
and put it on a leash for your girls?
6 Will guildsmen bargain over it?
Will they divide it between tradesmen?
7 Can you fill its kin with harpoons
or[e] its head with fish spears?
8 Lay your hands on it;
think about the battle—you will not do it again!
9 “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
- Job 41:1 Job 41:1–34 in the English Bible is 40:25–41:26 in the Hebrew Bible
- Job 41:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 41:1 Literally “with a cord can you press down its tongue”
- Job 41:2 Hebrew “And”
- Job 41:7 Hebrew “and”
- Job 41:9 Literally “its hope”
- Job 41:10 Or “Who is he thenwho could stand before me?”; literally “to the face of me”
- Job 41:11 Hebrew “and”
- Job 41:11 Literally “to me”
- Job 41:12 Hebrew “and”
- Job 41:13 Literally “the surface of its garment”
- Job 41:15 LXX; or “pride”
- Job 41:16 Literally “one to one”
- Job 41:16 Hebrew “and”
- Job 41:17 Literally “a man to his brother”
- Job 41:18 Literally “like eyelids of dawn”
- Job 41:22 Or “strength”
- Job 41:22 Literally “to the face of him/it”
- Job 41:24 Hebrew “and”
- Job 41:25 Literally “From his/its rising up”
- Job 41:26 Hebrew “and”
- Job 41:28 Literally “A son of a bow”
- Job 41:32 Literally “it lights up the path”
- Job 41:33 Literally “There is not on the ground its likeness”
- Job 41:33 Hebrew “the”
- Job 41:34 Literally “over all sons of pride”
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