Job 40
Legacy Standard Bible
Job Places His Hand over His Mouth
40 Then Yahweh answered Job and said,
3 Then Job answered Yahweh and said,
4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I respond to You?
I (C)place my hand over my mouth.
5 Once I have spoken, and (D)I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
Yahweh Will Ask Job
6 Then (E)Yahweh answered Job out of the [a]whirlwind and said,
7 “Now (F)gird up your loins like a man;
I will (G)ask you, and you make Me know.
8 Will you really (H)annul My judgment?
Will you (I)condemn Me (J)that you may be justified?
9 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?
Job 40
King James Version
40 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said,
2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
3 Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
6 Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10 Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
11 Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
14 Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
24 He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.
Job 40
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Lord Confronts Job
40 The Lord responded to Job and said:
2 Will the one who makes charges against the Almighty
dare to correct him?
The one who accuses God should make his case!
3 Job answered the Lord and said:
4 No, I am insignificant.[a]
How could I reply to you?
I will put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I cannot defend it.
Twice, but I will not go any further.
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the violent storm. He said:
7 Get ready for action like a man!
Then I will ask you questions,
and you will inform me.
8 Will you really deny that I am just?
Will you convict me, so that you can be acquitted?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s arm?
Does your voice thunder like his?
10 Go ahead, please. Adorn yourself with dignity and honor.
Clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
11 Pour out your overflowing anger.
Look at every proud man and bring him low.
12 Look at every proud man and humble him.
Trample the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all together in the dust.
Cover their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then I will praise you
and admit that your right hand can save you.
Behemoth
15 Take a look at Behemoth,[b]
which I made just as I made you.
He eats grass like cattle.
16 Would you look at the power of his hips
and the strength of the muscles of his belly!
17 He stiffens his tail[c] like a cedar.
The tendons of his thighs[d] are tight.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze.
His skeleton is like bars of iron.
19 He stands at the head of God’s creatures,
but his Maker draws near with his sword.[e]
20 Yes, the mountains carry their floodwaters[f] to him.
All the wild animals play there.
21 He lies under the lotus plants,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotus plants cover him with their shadows.
Poplars by the stream surround him.
23 The river rages, but he is not frightened.
He remains calm even if the Jordan bursts into his mouth.
24 Can people capture him by his eyes?
Can they pierce his nose with a hook?
Footnotes
- Job 40:4 Or not worthy
- Job 40:15 Or the Beast. This is a poetic description, which does not exactly match any known animal, though the hippopotamus has been suggested as the closest match. Other suggestions are the elephant or some form of dinosaur.
- Job 40:17 Or penis. The Hebrew word zanav, which most often means tail, can be used as a euphemism for penis.
- Job 40:17 Or testicles. The Targum, the Vulgate, Luther, and the King James Version all support the interpretation testicles.
- Job 40:19 Or his Maker provided him with his sword
- Job 40:20 Or food. The word occurs only here. The translation accepts the view that it is derived from a verb that means flow violently. Many translations accept a derivation from a verb that means produce.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.