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.’
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.”
