41 In Hebrew texts 41:1-8 is numbered 40:25-32, and 41:9-34 is numbered 41:1-26. 1‘Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2Can you put a cord through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3Will it keep begging you for mercy?
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?
5Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6Will traders barter for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
8If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
9Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.
10No-one is fierce enough to rouse it.
Who then is able to stand against me?
11Who 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.
13Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armour41:13 Septuagint; Hebrew double bridle?
14Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
ringed about with its fearsome teeth?
15Its back has41:15 Or Its pride is its rows of shields
tightly sealed together;
16each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
17They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
18Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19Flames stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
20Smoke pours from its nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21Its breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.
22Strength resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
23The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
24Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.
25When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;
they retreat before its thrashing.
26The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
27Iron it treats like straw
and bronze like rotten wood.
28Arrows do not make it flee;
slingstones are like chaff to it.
29A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
30Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing-sledge.
31It makes the depths churn like a boiling cauldron
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
32It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
33Nothing on earth is its equal –
a creature without fear.
34It looks down on all that are haughty;
it is king over all that are proud.’
141:1 Ayub 3:8; Amos 4:2“No ũhote kũguucũrũria nyamũ ĩrĩa ĩĩtagwo Leviathani na ndwano,
kana wohe rũrĩmĩ rwayo na mũkanda?
241:2 Ezek 19:4No ũhote kũmĩtoonyia rũrigi iniũrũ,
kana ũmĩtũrĩkanie rũthĩa na ndwano?
3No ĩtinde ĩgĩgũthaitha ũmĩiguĩre tha?
No ĩkwarĩrie na ciugo cia ũhooreri?
441:4 Thaam 21:6No ĩrĩkanĩre nawe ũthiĩ nayo,
ĩtũũre ĩrĩ ngombo yaku nginya tene?
5No ũhote kũmĩhooreria ta nyoni,
kana ũmĩoherere handũ nĩguo airĩtu aku mamĩmeemagie?
6Onjoria no mamĩkũũranie na indo ciao?
No mamĩgayanie kũrĩ onjorithia?
741:7 Ayub 40:24No ũhote gũtheecanga rũũa rwayo na mĩcengi,
kana ũtheecange mũtwe wayo na mĩcengi ĩrĩa ĩtegaga thamaki?
8Ũngĩmĩhutia na guoko,
ũngĩtũũra ũririkanaga kĩgiano kĩu, na ndũngĩgacookera!
9Mwĩrĩgĩrĩro wa atĩ no ũmĩtoorie nĩ kwĩheenia;
o kũmĩona tu nĩkũiganĩte gũtũma mũndũ amake, orwo nĩ hinya.
1041:10 2Maũ 20:6; Jer 50:44Gũtirĩ mũndũ ũrĩ ũcamba mũiganu wa kũmĩarahũra.
Nũũ ũngĩkĩhota kwĩĩndiiria niĩ?
1141:11 Arom 11:35; 1Akor 10:26Nũũ ũngĩnandũra kĩndũ atĩ nĩguo ndĩmũrĩhe?
Kĩndũ gĩothe kĩrĩ rungu rwa igũrũ nĩ gĩakwa.
12“Ndikwaga kwaria ũhoro wa ciĩga ciayo,
o na wa hinya wayo, na wa ũthaka wayo.
13Nũũ ũngĩhota kũmĩaũra nguo yayo ya igũrũ?
Nũũ ũngĩmĩkuhĩrĩria amĩĩkĩre matamu?
1441:14 Thab 22:13Nũũ ũngĩũmĩrĩria kũmĩathamia kanua,
kau kaiyũrĩte magego ma kũmakania?
15Mũgongo wayo ũrĩ na ngo ciĩiganĩrĩire mĩhari,
ikomanĩire ikanyiitana;
16o ĩmwe ĩnyiitanĩte na ĩrĩa ĩngĩ,
ũũ atĩ gũtirĩ rĩera rĩngĩtoonyera gatagatĩ ga cio.
17Igwatanĩtio hamwe irĩ nũmu;
inyiitanĩte hamwe ũndũ itangĩtigithũkana.
1841:18 Ayub 3:9Gũtiiha kwayo kũmenũkagia ũtheri;
maitho mayo nĩ ta mĩrũri ya rũciinĩ gũgĩthererũka.
1941:19 Dan 10:6Imũrĩ cia mwaki ciumaga kanua-inĩ kayo;
ĩrathũkagia thandĩ cia mwaki.
20Ĩrutaga ndogo na maniũrũ
taarĩ nyũngũ ĩratherũka ĩhagĩrĩtwo igũrũ rĩa mwaki wa ithanjĩ.
2141:21 Isa 11:4; Jer 4:4Mĩhũmũ yayo ĩgwatagia makara mwaki,
naruo rũrĩrĩmbĩ rũkoima kanua kayo.
22Ngingo-inĩ yayo nĩho hinya wayo ũkoragwo,
ũrĩa ũmakagia kĩrĩa gĩothe gĩtũnganaga nayo.
23Mĩgũtha ya nyama ciayo nĩmĩnyiitanu mũno;
nĩ mĩrũmu ũũ atĩ ndĩngĩenyenyeka.
2441:24 Math 18:6Ngoro yayo yũmĩte ta ihiga,
ĩkooma ta ihiga rĩa gũthĩa rĩa na thĩ.
25Rĩrĩa yarahũka, arĩa marĩ hinya nĩmamakaga;
mooraga ĩtanamahũũra.
2641:26 Josh 8:18; Ayub 40:24Gũtirĩ rũhiũ rwa njora rũngĩmĩĩka ũndũ,
o na kana itimũ, kana mũguĩ, kana mĩcengi.
27Harĩ Leviathani-rĩ, kĩgera no ta nyeki nyũmũ,
nakĩo gĩcango no ta gĩcunjĩ kĩbuthu kĩa mũtĩ.
2841:28 Thab 91:5Mĩguĩ ndĩngĩtũma yũre;
mahiga ma kĩgũtha no ta mũũngũ harĩ yo.
29Harĩ yo njũgũma no ta gacunjĩ ka rũnyeki rũmũ;
ĩthekagĩrĩra kũbĩrĩrĩka gwa itimũ.
3041:30 Isa 28:27Nda yayo nĩ ta rũgĩo rũrĩ na mageca;
ĩtigaga ngururo ndaka-inĩ ta cia ngaari iria ikonyoraga ngano.
3141:31 1Sam 2:14; Ezek 32:2Ĩtũmaga iria kũrĩa kũriku gũtherũke ta nyũngũ,
na ĩkoiruga iria ta nyũngũ ya maguta ma kwĩhaka.
32Harĩa yagerera ĩtigaga mũhari ũkũhenia;
mũndũ no eciirie atĩ ndia ĩrĩ na mbuĩ.
33Gũtirĩ kĩndũ kĩngĩigananio nayo gũkũ thĩ;
nĩ kĩũmbe gĩtarĩ guoya.
3441:34 Thab 18:27; Thim 6:17Ĩnyũrũragia kĩrĩa gĩothe gĩĩtũũgagĩria;
nĩyo mũthamaki wa kĩrĩa gĩothe gĩĩtĩĩaga.”
