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JOB 41
page 477
The LORD Challenges Job Again
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
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“Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
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“Will you discredit my justice
and condemn me just to prove you
are right?
Are you as strong as God?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
All right, put on your glory and splendor,
your honor and majesty.
Give vent to your anger.
Let it overflow against the proud.
Humiliate the proud with a glance;
walk on the wicked where they stand.
Bury them in the dust.
Imprison them in the world of the dead.
Then even I would praise you,
for your own strength would save you.
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“Take a look at Behemoth,*
which I made, just as I made you.
It eats grass like an ox.
See its powerful loins
and the muscles of its belly.
Its tail is as strong as a cedar.
The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly
together.
Its bones are tubes of bronze.
Its limbs are bars of iron.
It is a prime example of God’s handiwork,
and only its Creator can threaten it.
The mountains offer it their best food,
where all the wild animals play.
It lies under the lotus plants,*
hidden by the reeds in the marsh.
The lotus plants give it shade
among the willows beside the stream.
It is not disturbed by the raging river,
not concerned when the swelling Jordan
rushes around it.
No one can catch it off guard
or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.
Will it agree to work for you,
to be your slave for life?
5 Can you make it a pet like a bird,
or give it to your little girls to play with?
6 Will merchants try to buy it
to sell it in their shops?
7 Will its hide be hurt by spears
or its head by a harpoon?
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will certainly remember the battle
that follows.
You won’t try that again!
9*No, it is useless to try to capture it.
The hunter who attempts it will be
knocked down.
10 And since no one dares to disturb it,
who then can stand up to me?
11 Who has given me anything that I need
to pay back?
Everything under heaven is mine.
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The LORD’s Challenge Continues
1*“Can you catch Leviathan* with a hook
or put a noose around its jaw?
2 Can you tie it with a rope through the nose
or pierce its jaw with a spike?
3 Will it beg you for mercy
or implore you for pity?
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40:15 The identification of Behemoth is disputed, ranging
from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in
ancient literature. 40:21 Or bramble bushes; also in 40:22.
41:1a Verses 41:1-8 are numbered 40:25-32 in Hebrew text.
41:1b The identification of Leviathan is disputed, ranging
from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient
literature. 41:9 Verses 41:9-34 are numbered 41:1-26 in
Hebrew text. 41:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads its
bridle? 41:15 As in some Greek manuscripts and Latin
Vulgate; Hebrew reads Its pride is in its.
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“I want to emphasize Leviathan’s limbs
and its enormous strength and graceful
form.
Who can strip off its hide,
and who can penetrate its double layer
of armor?*
Who could pry open its jaws?
For its teeth are terrible!
The scales on its back are like* rows of
shields
tightly sealed together.
They are so close together
that no air can get between them.
Each scale sticks tight to the next.
They interlock and cannot be
penetrated.
“When it sneezes, it flashes light!
Its eyes are like the red of dawn.
Lightning leaps from its mouth;
flames of fire flash out.
Smoke streams from its nostrils
like steam from a pot heated over
burning rushes.
Its breath would kindle coals,
for flames shoot from its mouth.
“The tremendous strength in Leviathan’s
neck
strikes terror wherever it goes.
Its flesh is hard and firm
and cannot be penetrated.
Its heart is hard as rock,
hard as a millstone.
When it rises, the mighty are afraid,
gripped by terror.
No sword can stop it,
no spear, dart, or javelin.
Iron is nothing but straw to that creature,
and bronze is like rotten wood.
Arrows cannot make it flee.