1「你豈能用魚鉤釣鱷魚，
用繩索綁住牠的舌頭？
2你豈能用繩子穿牠的鼻子，
用鉤子穿牠的腮骨？
3牠豈會向你連連求饒，
對你說柔和的話？
4牠豈肯與你立約，
一生做你的奴隸？
5你豈能拿牠當小鳥玩耍，
或拴起來給幼女取樂？
6漁夫們豈能把牠當貨物出售，
賣給商人？
7你豈能在牠皮上戳滿長矛，
頭上插滿魚叉？
8你動手碰碰牠，
就知道有何惡戰，絕不會再碰。
9企圖捕捉牠的都會失望，
人看到牠就會心驚膽戰。
10再兇猛的人也不敢惹牠。
這樣，誰能在我面前站立得住？
11誰給過我什麼，要我償還？
天下萬物都是我的。
12「論到牠的四肢、大力和姣美的身體，
我不能緘默不言。
13誰能剝去牠的外皮？
誰能給牠戴上轡頭？
14誰能打開牠的口？
牠的牙齒令人恐懼。
15牠的脊背覆著行行鱗甲，
牢牢地密封在一起，
16緊密無間，
連氣也透不進去。
17鱗甲彼此相連相扣，
無法分開。
18牠打噴嚏時，水光四射；
牠的眼睛發出晨光；
19口中噴出火炬，
迸出火星；
20鼻孔冒煙，
如沸騰的鍋和燃燒的蘆葦；
21呼氣可點燃煤炭，
口中噴出火焰；
22頸項強而有力，
恐懼在牠前面開路；
23身上的皺褶緊密相連，
牢牢地密封在一起；
24心堅如石，
硬如磨石。
25牠一站起來，勇士都害怕，
見牠衝來，他們慌忙退縮。
26刀劍擋不住牠，
長矛、標槍、尖戟也無能為力。
27牠視鐵如乾草，
視銅如朽木。
28利箭嚇不跑牠，
彈石在牠看來只是碎稭；
29棍棒無異於稭稈，
牠嗤笑投來的標槍。
30牠腹部有鋒利的瓦片，
在淤泥上留下道道耙痕。
31牠使深淵如鍋翻騰，
大海如油鍋滾動。
32牠游過後留下一道波光，
使深淵彷彿披上銀髮。
33地上沒有動物能與牠相比，
像牠那樣無所畏懼。
34牠藐視群雄，
在高傲的百獸中稱王。」
1“Job, can you pull Leviathan out of the sea with a fishhook?
Can you tie down its tongue with a rope?
2Can you put a rope through its nose?
Can you stick a hook through its jaw?
3Will it keep begging you for mercy?
Will it speak gently to you?
4Will it make an agreement with you?
Can you make it your slave for life?
5Can you make a pet out of it like a bird?
Can you put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6Will traders offer you something for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7Can you fill its body with harpoons?
Can you throw fishing spears into its head?
8If you touch it, it will fight you.
Then you will remember never to touch it again!
9No one can possibly control Leviathan.
Just looking at it will terrify you.
10No one dares to wake it up.
So who can possibly stand up to me?
11Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything on earth belongs to me.
12“Now I will speak about the Leviathan’s legs.
I will talk about its strength and its graceful body.
13Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who would try to pierce its double coat of armor?
14Who dares to open its jaws?
Its mouth is filled with terrifying teeth.
15Its back has rows of shields
that are close together.
16Each one is so close to the next one
that not even air can pass between them.
17They are joined tightly to one another.
They stick together and can’t be forced apart.
18Leviathan’s snorting throws out flashes of light.
Its eyes shine like the first light of day.
19Flames spray out of its mouth.
Sparks of fire shoot out.
20Smoke pours out of its nose.
It is like smoke from a boiling pot over burning grass.
21Its breath sets coals on fire.
Flames fly out of its mouth.
22Its neck is very strong.
People run to get out of its way.
23Its rolls of fat are close together.
They are firm and can’t be moved.
24Its chest is as hard as rock.
It is as hard as a lower millstone.
25When Leviathan rises up,
even mighty people are terrified.
They run away when it moves around wildly.
26A sword that strikes it has no effect.
Neither does a spear or dart or javelin.
27It treats iron as if it were straw.
It crushes bronze as if it were rotten wood.
28Arrows do not make it run away.
Stones that are thrown from slings are like straw hitting it.
29A club seems like a piece of straw to it.
It laughs when it hears a javelin rattling.
30Its undersides are like broken pieces of pottery.
It leaves a trail in the mud like a threshing sled.
31It makes the ocean churn like a boiling pot.
It stirs up the sea like perfume someone is making.
32It leaves a shiny trail behind it.
You would think the ocean had white hair.
33Nothing on earth is equal to Leviathan.
That creature is not afraid of anything.
34It looks down on proud people.
It rules over all those who are proud.”
