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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?

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On Behemoth

15 “Please observe[a] Behemoth,[b] which I made along with you.
    He eats grass like an ox.
16 Now take a look at the strength that he has in his loins,
    and in the muscles of his abdomen.
17 His tail protrudes stiffly, like cedar;[c]
    the sinews of his thigh interlink for strength.
18 His bones are conduits[d] of bronze;[e]
    his strong bones are like bars of iron.
19 He is the grandest[f] of God’s undertakings,[g]
    yet his creator is approaching him with his sword.[h]

20 Mountains produce food for him,
    where all the wild animals frolic.
21 He lies under the lotus trees,
    hiding under reeds and marshes.[i]
22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade,
    and willows that line the wadis[j] surround him.
23 What you see as a raging river doesn’t alarm him;
    he is confident when the Jordan overflows.
24 Are your eyes looking to capture him,
    or to pierce his snout with a bridle?”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 40:15 Lit. look
  2. Job 40:15 I.e. an ancient, gigantic herbivore, living in Job’s time but now apparently extinct
  3. Job 40:17 I.e. a genus of coniferous evergreen in the family Pinaceae
  4. Job 40:18 Or channels
  5. Job 40:18 Or copper
  6. Job 40:19 Or first
  7. Job 40:19 Lit. ways
  8. Job 40:19 I.e. God was about to make Behemoth extinct
  9. Job 40:21 Lit. reed and marsh
  10. Job 40:22 I.e. seasonal streams that channel water during rain seasons but are dry at other times