Job 40
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
40 And the Lord said to Job:
Job’s Response to God
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.(B)
5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer,
twice but will proceed no further.”(C)
God’s Challenge to Job
6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:(D)
7 “Gird up your loins like a man;
I will question you, and you declare to me.(E)
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that you may be justified?(F)
9 Have you an arm like God,
and can you thunder with a voice like his?(G)
10 “Deck yourself with majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself with glory and splendor.(H)
11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on all who are proud and humble them.(I)
12 Look on all who are proud and bring them low;
tread down the wicked where they stand.(J)
13 Hide them all in the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.[b]
14 Then I will also acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can give you victory.(K)
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made just as I made you;
it eats grass like an ox.(L)
16 Its strength is in its loins
and its power in the muscles of its belly.
17 It makes its tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are knit together.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like bars of iron.
19 “It is the first of the great acts of God;
only its Maker can approach it with the sword.(M)
20 For the mountains yield food for it
where all the wild animals play.(N)
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh.
22 The lotus trees cover it for shade;
the willows of the wadi surround it.(O)
23 Even if the river is turbulent, it is not frightened;
it is confident though Jordan rushes against its mouth.
24 Can one take it with hooks[c]
or pierce its nose with a snare?(P)
Job 40
Complete Jewish Bible
40 Continuing to address Iyov, Adonai said:
2 “Does the critic still want to dispute Shaddai?
Let him who wants to correct God give an answer!”
3 Then Iyov replied to Adonai:
4 “I am too ashamed; I have nothing to say.
I lay my hand over my mouth.
5 Yes, I spoke once, but I won’t answer more;
all right, twice, but I won’t go on.”
6 Adonai answered Iyov out of the storm:
7 “Stand up like a man, and brace yourself;
I will ask questions; and you, give the answers!
8 “Are you impugning my justice?
Putting me in the wrong to prove yourself right?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Come on, deck yourself with majesty and dignity,
robe yourself in glory and splendor.
11 Let loose your furious anger,
look at all who are proud, and humble them.
12 Look at all who are proud, and bring them down;
tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them in the ground together,
bind their faces in the hidden world.
14 If you do this, then I will confess to you
that your own power can save you.
15 “Now consider Behemot, whom I made along with you.
He eats grass like an ox.
16 What strength he has in his loins!
What power in his stomach muscles!
17 He can make his tail as stiff as a cedar,
the muscles in his thighs are like cables,
18 his bones are like bronze pipes,
his limbs like iron bars.
19 “He ranks first among God’s works.
Only his maker can approach him with his sword.
20 The mountains produce food for him there,
where all the wild animals play.
21 He lies down under the thorny lotus bushes
and is hidden by the reeds in the swamp;
22 the lotus bushes cover him with their shade,
and the willows by the stream surround him.
23 If the river overflows, it doesn’t worry him;
he is confident even if the Yarden rushes by his mouth.
24 Can anyone catch him by his eyes
or pierce his nose with a hook?
25 (41:1) “And Livyatan! Can you catch him with a fishhook
or hold his tongue down with a rope?
26 (41:2) Can you put a ring in his nose
or pierce his jaw with a barb?
27 (41:3) Will he entreat you at length?
Will he speak with you softly?
28 (41:4) Will he agree with you
to be your slave forever?
29 (41:5) Will you play with him as you would with a bird
or keep him on a string to amuse your little girls?
30 (41:6) Will a group of fishermen turn him into a banquet?
Will they divide him among the merchants?
31 (41:7) Can you fill his skin with darts
or his head with fish-spears?
32 (41:8) If you lay your hand on him,
you won’t forget the fight, and you’ll never do it again!
Job 40
The Message
40 1-2 God then confronted Job directly:
“Now what do you have to say for yourself?
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?”
Job Answers God
I’m Ready to Shut Up and Listen
3-5 Job answered:
“I’m speechless, in awe—words fail me.
I should never have opened my mouth!
I’ve talked too much, way too much.
I’m ready to shut up and listen.”
God’s Second Set of Questions
I Want Straight Answers
6-7 God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said:
“I have some more questions for you,
and I want straight answers.
8-14 “Do you presume to tell me what I’m doing wrong?
Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?
Do you have an arm like my arm?
Can you shout in thunder the way I can?
Go ahead, show your stuff.
Let’s see what you’re made of, what you can do.
Unleash your outrage.
Target the arrogant and lay them flat.
Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees.
Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them!
Dig a mass grave and dump them in it—
faceless corpses in an unmarked grave.
I’ll gladly step aside and hand things over to you—
you can surely save yourself with no help from me!
15-24 “Look at the land beast, Behemoth. I created him as well as you.
Grazing on grass, docile as a cow—
Just look at the strength of his back,
the powerful muscles of his belly.
His tail sways like a cedar in the wind;
his huge legs are like beech trees.
His skeleton is made of steel,
every bone in his body hard as steel.
Most magnificent of all my creatures,
but I still lead him around like a lamb!
The grass-covered hills serve him meals,
while field mice frolic in his shadow.
He takes afternoon naps under shade trees,
cools himself in the reedy swamps,
Lazily cool in the leafy shadows
as the breeze moves through the willows.
And when the river rages he doesn’t budge,
stolid and unperturbed even when the Jordan goes wild.
But you’d never want him for a pet—
you’d never be able to housebreak him!”
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson