Beginning

² “Will the one who finds fault with the Almighty respond?
    Anyone who argues with God should state his case.”

⁴ “Since I am of little importance, how can I reply to you?
    I will simply place my hand over my mouth.
⁵ Although I have spoken once, I will not answer;
    I have spoken twice, but I will do so no more.”

⁷ “Gird up your loins like a man.
    I intend to put questions to you,
    and you must give me your answers.
⁸ Will you continue to deny that I am just?
    Will you condemn me in order to justify yourself?
⁹ Do you have an arm like that of God?
    Can your voice thunder as loudly as his?
¹⁰ “Display your majesty and grandeur;
    array yourself with glory and splendor.
¹¹ Unleash the fury of your wrath
    and humble the haughty with a glance.
¹² Look on all who are proud and shatter them;
    strike down the wicked where they stand.
¹³ Bury all of them in the earth^[d] together,
    and shroud their faces in an unknown grave.
¹⁴ Then I in turn will acknowledge to you
    that your own right hand is strong enough to save you.

¹⁵ “Look at Behemoth whom I made just as I made you;
    it feeds on grass like an ox.
¹⁶ Yet what strength it has in its loins
    and what power in the muscles of its body.
¹⁷ Its tail is as stiff as a cedar;
    the sinews of its thighs are tightly knit.
¹⁸ Its bones are like tubes of bronze,
    its limbs like rods of iron.
¹⁹ “It is the first of God’s works;
    only its Maker can control it with the sword.
²⁰ The mountains provide it with food,
    as do the wild animals that roam the hills.
²¹ It rests under the lotus trees
    as it lies hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
²² “The lotus trees afford it shade,
    and it is sheltered by the willows of the stream.
²³ Even if the river becomes turbulent,
    it does not become frightened;
it remains tranquil
    even if the waters rise up to its mouth.
²⁴ Who can blind its eyes and capture it
    or pierce its nose with a trap?

²⁵ “Can you catch Leviathan with a fishhook
    or tie a rope around its tongue?
²⁶ Can you put a rope through its nose
    or pierce its jaw with a hook?^[g]
27 Will it plead with you for mercy
    and address you with gentle words?
²⁸ Will it strike a bargain with you
    that will make it your servant forever?
²⁹ “Will you play with it as you would with a bird?
    Will you put it on a leash to amuse your maidens?
³⁰ Will traders bargain for it?
    Will merchants divide it up?
³¹ Can you riddle its hide with harpoons
    or its head with fishing spears?
³² If you ever should plan to lay a hand on it,
    first think of the struggle that awaits you,
    and then cease all such thoughts.

¹ “Any hope you have in this regard would be futile;
    just the mere sight of it would convince you to retreat.
² How ferocious it is when aroused!
    No one could ever stand up to confront it.^[h]
3 Who has attacked it and remained unscathed?
    There has never been anyone under the heavens.
⁴ “Nor will I keep silence about its limbs,
    or its strength, or its magnificent frame.
⁵ Who can strip off its outer garment
    or pierce the reinforced armor of its breastplate?
⁶ Who has ever managed to force open the doors of its mouth
    and beheld the teeth that leave one in terror?
⁷ “Rows of shields adorn its back
    and are tightly sealed together.
⁸ One presses so close to the next
    that no air can pass between them.
⁹ Each is so joined, one to another,
    that they hold fast and cannot be separated.
¹⁰ “When it sneezes, sprays of light^[i] flash forth,
    and its eyes are like the rays of the dawn.
¹¹ Fiery torches emerge from its mouth
    and sparks come flying out.
¹² Smoke issues forth from its nostrils
    as from a boiling pot on the fire.
¹³ Its breath sets coals ablaze,
    and flames pour forth from its mouth.
¹⁴ “Strength resides in its neck,
    causing terror to all who behold it.
¹⁵ The folds of its flesh are joined together,
    firmly set in place and immovable.
¹⁶ Its heart is as hard as stone,
    as unyielding as the lower millstone.
¹⁷ When it rears up, strong men become terrified,
    and the waves of the sea retreat.
¹⁸ “Even though the sword reaches it, there is no penetration,
    nor is there with the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
¹⁹ It regards iron as straw
    and bronze as rotting wood.
²⁰ No arrow can force it to flee;
    slingstones it regards as nothing but chaff.
²¹ To it a club is like a splinter,
    and it laughs at the javelins that are hurled at it.
²² “Its lower parts are protected with jagged potsherds,
    and it moves across the mire like a threshing sledge.
²³ It causes the depths to boil like a cauldron;
    it churns the sea like a pot of ointment.
²⁴ Behind it there is left a shining trail,
    and in its wake the deep appears to be white-haired.
²⁵ It has no equal upon the earth;
    it is a creature that is utterly fearless.
²⁶ It looks down upon all, even the highest;
    it is king over all wild beasts.”

² “I know that you can do all things
    and that no plan you conceive can be thwarted.
³ Because of my ignorance
    I have spoken of things that I have not understood,
    of things too wondrous for me to know.
⁴ “You had said, ‘Listen and let me speak.
    I intend to put questions to you,
    and you must give me your answers.’
⁵ I had heard of you only by hearsay,
    but now that I have seen you with my own eyes,
⁶ I retract what I have said,
    repenting in dust and ashes.”