² “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
    Let him who accuses God answer him!”

⁴ “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
    I put my hand over my mouth.
⁵ I spoke once, but I have no answer—
    twice, but I will say no more.”

⁷ “Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.

⁸ “Would you discredit my justice?
    Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
⁹ Do you have an arm like God’s,
    and can your voice thunder like his?
¹⁰ Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
    and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
¹¹ Unleash the fury of your wrath,
    look at all who are proud and bring them low,
¹² look at all who are proud and humble them,
    crush the wicked where they stand.
¹³ Bury them all in the dust together;
    shroud their faces in the grave.
¹⁴ Then I myself will admit to you
    that your own right hand can save you.

¹⁵ “Look at Behemoth,
    which I made along with you
    and which feeds on grass like an ox.
¹⁶ What strength it has in its loins,
    what power in the muscles of its belly!
¹⁷ Its tail sways like a cedar;
    the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
¹⁸ Its bones are tubes of bronze,
    its limbs like rods of iron.
¹⁹ It ranks first among the works of God,
    yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
²⁰ The hills bring it their produce,
    and all the wild animals play nearby.
²¹ Under the lotus plants it lies,
    hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
²² The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
    the poplars by the stream surround it.
²³ A raging river does not alarm it;
    it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
²⁴ Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
    or trap it and pierce its nose?

41 ^[a]“Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook
    or tie down its tongue with a rope?
² Can you put a cord through its nose
    or pierce its jaw with a hook?
³ Will it keep begging you for mercy?
    Will it speak to you with gentle words?
⁴ Will it make an agreement with you
    for you to take it as your slave for life?
⁵ Can you make a pet of it like a bird
    or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
⁶ Will traders barter for it?
    Will they divide it up among the merchants?
⁷ Can you fill its hide with harpoons
    or its head with fishing spears?
⁸ If you lay a hand on it,
    you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
⁹ Any hope of subduing it is false;
    the mere sight of it is overpowering.
¹⁰ No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
    Who then is able to stand against me?
¹¹ Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
    Everything under heaven belongs to me.

¹² “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,
    its strength and its graceful form.
¹³ Who can strip off its outer coat?
    Who can penetrate its double coat of armor^[b]?
¹⁴ Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
    ringed about with fearsome teeth?
¹⁵ Its back has^[c] rows of shields
    tightly sealed together;
¹⁶ each is so close to the next
    that no air can pass between.
¹⁷ They are joined fast to one another;
    they cling together and cannot be parted.
¹⁸ Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
    its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
¹⁹ Flames stream from its mouth;
    sparks of fire shoot out.
²⁰ Smoke pours from its nostrils
    as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
²¹ Its breath sets coals ablaze,
    and flames dart from its mouth.
²² Strength resides in its neck;
    dismay goes before it.
²³ The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
    they are firm and immovable.
²⁴ Its chest is hard as rock,
    hard as a lower millstone.
²⁵ When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;
    they retreat before its thrashing.
²⁶ The sword that reaches it has no effect,
    nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
²⁷ Iron it treats like straw
    and bronze like rotten wood.
²⁸ Arrows do not make it flee;
    slingstones are like chaff to it.
²⁹ A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
    it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
³⁰ Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
    leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
³¹ It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron
    and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
³² It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
    one would think the deep had white hair.
³³ Nothing on earth is its equal—
    a creature without fear.
³⁴ It looks down on all that are haughty;
    it is king over all that are proud.”

² “I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.

⁴ “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.’
⁵ My ears had heard of you
    but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore I despise myself
    and repent in dust and ashes.”

² You are the most excellent of men
    and your lips have been anointed with grace,
    since God has blessed you forever.

³ Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
    clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
    let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
    let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶ Your throne, O God,^[c] will last for ever and ever;
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
⁷ You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy.
⁸ All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
    from palaces adorned with ivory
    the music of the strings makes you glad.
⁹ Daughters of kings are among your honored women;
    at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.

¹⁰ Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention:
    Forget your people and your father’s house.
¹¹ Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;
    honor him, for he is your lord.
¹² The city of Tyre will come with a gift,^[d]
    people of wealth will seek your favor.
¹³ All glorious is the princess within her chamber;
    her gown is interwoven with gold.
¹⁴ In embroidered garments she is led to the king;
    her virgin companions follow her—
    those brought to be with her.
¹⁵ Led in with joy and gladness,
    they enter the palace of the king.

¹⁶ Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
    you will make them princes throughout the land.

¹⁷ I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;
    therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.

¹⁴ The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;
    a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.