The departed spirits tremble
beneath the waters and all that inhabit them.(A)
Sheol(B) is naked before God,
and Abaddon(C) has no covering.(D)

He stretches the northern skies over empty space;
he hangs the earth on nothing.
He wraps up the water in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst beneath its weight.(E)
He obscures the view of his throne,
spreading his cloud over it.
10 He laid out the horizon on the surface of the waters(F)
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars that hold up the sky tremble,
astounded at his rebuke.(G)
12 By his power he stirred(H) the sea,
and by his understanding he crushed Rahab.(I)

13 By his breath the heavens gained their beauty;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.[a](J)
14 These are but the fringes of his ways;
how faint is the word we hear of him!
Who can understand his mighty thunder?

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Footnotes

  1. 26:13 = Leviathan

The shades below tremble,
    the waters and their inhabitants.
Sheol is naked before God,
    and Abaddon has no covering.(A)
He stretches out Zaphon[a] over the void
    and hangs the earth upon nothing.(B)
He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not torn open by them.(C)
He covers the face of the full moon
    and spreads over it his cloud.(D)
10 He has described a circle on the face of the waters,
    at the boundary between light and darkness.(E)
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astounded at his rebuke.
12 By his power he stilled the Sea;
    by his understanding he struck down Rahab.(F)
13 By his wind the heavens were made fair;
    his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.(G)
14 These are indeed but the outskirts of his ways,
    and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 26.7 Or the North