Beginning
40 The Lord said to Job:
2 “Will the person who argues with God All-Powerful correct him?
Let the person who accuses God answer him!”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am not worthy. I cannot answer you anything.
I will put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke one time, but I will not answer again.
I even spoke two times, but I will say nothing more.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job from the storm:
7 “Be strong, like a man.
I will ask you questions.
And you must answer me.
8 Would you say that I am unfair?
Would you blame me to make yourself look right?
9 Are you as strong as God?
And can your voice thunder like his?
10 If so, then decorate yourself with glory and beauty.
And put on honor and greatness as if they were clothing.
11 Let your great anger punish.
Look at everyone who is proud and make him feel unimportant.
12 Look at everyone who is proud and bring him under your control.
Crush the wicked wherever they are.
13 Bury them all in the dirt together.
Cover their faces in the grave.
14 If you can do that, then I myself will praise you
because you are strong enough to save yourself.
15 “Look at Behemoth.[a]
I made him just as I made you.
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Look at the strength he has in his body.
The muscles of his stomach are powerful!
17 His tail extends like a cedar tree.
The muscles of his thighs are woven together.
18 His bones are like tubes of bronze metal.
His legs are like bars of iron.
19 He is one of the first of God’s works.
But God, his Maker, can destroy him.
20 The hills, where the wild animals play,
provide food for him.
21 He lies under the lotus plants
hidden by the tall grass in the swamp.
22 The lotus plants hide him in their shadow.
The poplar trees by the streams surround him.
23 If the river floods, he will not be afraid.
He is not afraid even if the Jordan River rushes to his mouth.
24 Can anyone blind his eyes and capture him?
Can anyone put hooks in his nose?
41 “Can you catch Leviathan[b] on a fishhook?
Or can you tie his tongue down with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through his nose
or put a hook in his jaw?
3 Will he keep begging you for mercy?
Will he speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will he make an agreement with you?
Will he let you take him as your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet of Leviathan as you would a bird?
Or can you put him on a leash for your girls?
6 Will traders try to bargain with you for him?
Will they divide him up among the traders?
7 Can you stick him with darts until his skin is full of them?
Or can you fill his head with fishing spears?
8 If you put one hand on him,
you will never forget the battle.
And you will never do it again!
9 There is no hope of defeating him.
Just seeing him overwhelms people.
10 No one is brave enough to make him angry.
So who would be able to stand up against me?
11 No one has ever given me anything that I must pay back.
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12 “I can silence his bragging.
I can silence his brave words and powerful arguments.
13 No one can tear off his outer hide.
No one can poke through his double armor.
14 No one can force open his great jaws.
There are frightening teeth all around his jaws.
15 He has rows of shields on his back.
They are tightly sealed together.
16 Each shield is so close to the next one
that no air can go between them.
17 They are joined strongly to one another.
They hold on to each other and cannot be broken apart.
18 When he snorts, flashes of light are thrown out.
His eyes look like the light at dawn.
19 Flames blaze from his mouth.
Sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours out of his nose
as if coming from a large pot over a hot fire.
21 His breath sets coals on fire.
And flames come out of his mouth.
22 There is great strength in his neck.
People are afraid and run away from him.
23 The folds of his skin are tightly joined.
They are set and cannot be moved.
24 His chest is as hard as a rock.
It is as hard as a stone used to grind grain.
25 Powerful creatures fear his terrible looks.
They draw back in fear as he moves.
26 The sword that hits him does not hurt him.
The darts and spears, small and large, do not hurt him.
27 He treats iron as if it were straw.
And he treats bronze metal as if it were rotten wood.
28 He does not run away from arrows.
Stones from slings are like chaff to him.
29 Clubs feel like pieces of straw to him.
And he laughs when they shake a spear at him.
30 The underside of his body is like broken pieces of pottery.
It leaves a trail in the mud like a threshing board.
31 He makes the deep sea bubble like a boiling pot.
And he stirs up the sea like a pot of oil.
32 When he swims, he leaves a shining path in the water.
It makes the sea look as if it had white hair.
33 Nothing else on earth is equal to him.
He is a creature without fear.
34 He looks down on all those who are too proud.
He is king over all proud creatures.”
Job Answers the Lord
42 Then Job answered the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things.
No plan of yours can be ruined.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that made my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?’
Surely I talked about things I did not understand.
I spoke of things too wonderful for me to know.
4 You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak.
I will ask you questions.
And you must answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you before.
But now my eyes have seen you.
6 So now I hate myself.
I will change my heart and life and sit in the dust and ashes.”
End of the Story
7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he spoke to Eliphaz the Temanite. The Lord said to him, “I am angry with you and your two friends. This is because you have not said what is right about me. But my servant Job did. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven male sheep. Go to my servant Job. And offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you. And I will listen to his prayer. Then I will not punish you for being foolish. You have not said what is right about me. But my servant Job did.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite did as the Lord told him to do. Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite also did as the Lord said. And the Lord listened to Job’s prayer.
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, God gave him success again. God gave Job twice as much as he had owned before. 11 Job’s brothers and sisters came to his house. Everyone who had known him before came to his house. And they all ate with him there. They comforted Job and spoke kindly to him. They made him feel better about the trouble the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave Job a piece of silver and a gold ring.
12 The Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than the first part. Job had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels. He had 1,000 pairs of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 Job also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first daughter Jemimah. The second daughter he named Keziah. And his third daughter he named Keren-Happuch. 15 There were no other women in all the land as beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father Job gave them land to own along with their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived 140 years. He lived to see his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. 17 Then Job died. He was old and had lived many years.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.