Job 41

¹ Is it possible for Leviathan to be pulled out with a fish-hook, or for a hook to be put through the bone of his mouth?

² Will you put a cord into his nose, or take him away with a cord round his tongue?

³ Will he make prayers to you, or say soft words to you?

⁴ Will he make an agreement with you, so that you may take him as a servant for ever?

⁵ Will you make sport with him, as with a bird? or put him in chains for your young women?

⁶ Will the fishermen make profit out of him? will they have him cut up for the traders?

⁷ Will you put sharp-pointed irons into his skin, or fish-spears into his head?

⁸ Only put your hand on him, and see what a fight you will have; you will not do it again!

⁹ Truly, the hope of his attacker is false; he is overcome even on seeing him!

¹⁰ He is so cruel that no one is ready to go against him. Who then is able to keep his place before me?

¹¹ Who ever went against me, and got the better of me? There is no one under heaven!

¹² I will not keep quiet about the parts of his body, or about his power, and the strength of his frame.

¹³ Who has ever taken off his outer skin? who may come inside his inner coat of iron?

¹⁴ Who has made open the doors of his face? Fear is round about his teeth.

¹⁵ His back is made of lines of plates, joined tight together, one against the other, like a stamp.

¹⁶ One is so near to the other that no air may come between them.

¹⁷ They take a grip of one another; they are joined together, so that they may not be parted.

¹⁸ His sneezings give out flames, and his eyes are like the eyes of the dawn.

¹⁹ Out of his mouth go burning lights, and flames of fire are jumping up.

²⁰ Smoke comes out of his nose, like a pot boiling on the fire.

²¹ His breath puts fire to coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.

²² Strength is in his neck, and fear goes dancing before him.

²³ The plates of his flesh are joined together, fixed, and not to be moved.

²⁴ His heart is as strong as a stone, hard as the lower crushing-stone.

²⁵ When he gets ready for the fight, the strong are overcome with fear.

²⁶ The sword may come near him but is not able to go through him; the spear, or the arrow, or the sharp-pointed iron.

²⁷ Iron is to him as dry grass, and brass as soft wood.

²⁸ The arrow is not able to put him to flight: stones are no more to him than dry stems.

²⁹ A thick stick is no better than a leaf of grass, and he makes sport of the onrush of the spear.

³⁰ Under him are sharp edges of broken pots: as if he was pulling a grain-crushing instrument over the wet earth.

³¹ The deep is boiling like a pot of spices, and the sea like a perfume-vessel.

³² After him his way is shining, so that the deep seems white.

³³ On earth there is not another like him, who is made without fear.

³⁴ Everything which is high goes in fear of him; he is king over all the sons of pride.