Job 40-42

Easy-to-Read Version

² “You wanted to argue with God All-Powerful.
    You wanted to correct me and prove that I was wrong.
    So give me your answer!”

⁴ “I am not worthy to speak!
    What can I say to you?
I cannot answer you!
    I will put my hand over my mouth.
⁵ I spoke once, but I will not speak again.
    I spoke twice, but I will not say anything more.”

⁷ “Brace yourself^[a]
    and get ready to answer the questions I will ask you.

⁸ “Are you trying to show that I am unfair?
    Are you trying to look innocent by saying that I am guilty?
⁹ Are your arms as strong as mine?
    Do you have a voice like mine that is as loud as thunder?
¹⁰ If so, you can be proud
    and wear glory and honor like clothes.
¹¹ If you are as powerful as God, then show your anger!
    Punish those who are proud and humble them.
¹² Yes, just look at the proud and make them humble.
    Crush those evil people where they stand.
¹³ Bury them all in the dirt.
    Wrap their bodies up and put them in their graves.
¹⁴ If you can do any of these things, then even I will praise you.
    And I will admit that you can save yourself by your own power.

¹⁵ “Look at the behemoth.^[b]
    I made the behemoth, and I made you.
    He eats grass like a cow.
¹⁶ But he has great strength in his body.
    The muscles in his stomach are powerful.
¹⁷ His tail stands strong like a cedar tree.
    His leg muscles are very strong.
¹⁸ His bones are as strong as bronze.
    His legs are like iron bars.
¹⁹ The behemoth is the most amazing animal I made,
    but I can defeat him.
²⁰ He eats the grass that grows on the hills
    where the wild animals play.
²¹ He lies under the lotus plants.
    He hides among the reeds of the swamp.
²² The lotus plants hide him in their shade.
    He lives under the willow trees that grow near the river.
²³ If the river floods, the behemoth will not run away.
    He is not afraid if the Jordan River splashes on his face.
²⁴ No one can blind his eyes and capture him.
    No one can catch him in a trap.

41 “Can you catch Leviathan^[c] with a fishhook?
    Can you tie his tongue with a rope?
² Can you put a rope through his nose
    or a hook through his jaw?
³ Will he beg you to let him go free?
    Will he speak to you with gentle words?
⁴ Will he make an agreement with you
    and promise to serve you forever?
⁵ Will you play with Leviathan as you would play with a bird?
    Will you put a rope on him so that your girls can play with him?
⁶ Will fishermen try to buy him from you?
    Will they cut him into pieces and sell him to the merchants?
⁷ Can you throw spears into his skin or head?

⁸ “If you ever lay a hand on Leviathan, you will never do it again!
    Just think about the battle that would be!
⁹ Do you think you can defeat him?
    Well, forget it! There is no hope.
    Just looking at him will scare you!
¹⁰ No one is brave enough to wake him up
    and make him angry.

“Well, no one can challenge me either!^[d]
11 I owe nothing to anyone.
    Everything under heaven belongs to me.^[e]

¹² “I will tell you about Leviathan’s legs,
    his strength, and his graceful shape.
¹³ No one can pierce his skin.
    It is like armor!^[f]
14 No one can force him to open his jaws.
    The teeth in his mouth scare people.
¹⁵ His back has rows of shields
    tightly sealed together.
¹⁶ They are so close to each other
    that no air can pass between them.
¹⁷ The shields are joined to each other.
    They hold together so tightly that they cannot be pulled apart.
¹⁸ When Leviathan sneezes, it is like lightning flashing out.
    His eyes shine like the light of dawn.
¹⁹ Burning torches come from his mouth.
    Sparks of fire shoot out.
²⁰ Smoke pours from his nose
    like burning weeds under a boiling pot.
²¹ His breath sets coals on fire,
    and flames shoot from his mouth.
²² His neck is very powerful.
    People are afraid and run away from him.
²³ There is no soft spot in his skin.
    It is as hard as iron.
²⁴ His heart is like a rock; he has no fear.
    It is as hard as a millstone.
²⁵ When he gets up, even the strongest people^[g] are afraid.
    They run away when he swings his tail.
²⁶ Swords, spears, and darts only bounce off when they hit him.
    These weapons don’t hurt him at all!
²⁷ He breaks iron as easily as straw.
    He breaks bronze like rotten wood.
²⁸ Arrows don’t make him run away.
    Rocks thrown at him seem as light as chaff.
²⁹ When a wood club hits him, it feels to him like a piece of straw.
    He laughs when anyone throws a spear at him.
³⁰ The skin on his belly is like sharp pieces of broken pottery.
    He leaves tracks in the mud like a threshing board.
³¹ He stirs up the water like a boiling pot.
    He makes it bubble like a pot of boiling oil.
³² When he swims, he leaves a sparkling path behind him.
    He stirs up the water and makes it white with foam.
³³ No animal on earth is like him.
    He is an animal made without fear.
³⁴ He looks down on the proudest of creatures.
    He is king over all the wild animals.”

² “I know you can do everything.
    You make plans, and nothing can change or stop them.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this ignorant person saying these foolish things?’^[h]
    I talked about things I did not understand.
    I talked about things too amazing for me to know.

⁴ “You said to me, ‘Listen, and I will speak.
    I will ask you questions, and you will answer me.’
⁵ In the past I heard about you,
    but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
⁶ And I am ashamed of myself.^[i]
    I am so sorry.
As I sit in the dust and ashes,^[j]
    I promise to change my heart and my life.”