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Job 40-42
Amplified Bible
Job 40-42
Amplified Bible
Job: What Can I Say?
40 Then the Lord said to Job,
2
“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who disputes with God answer it.”
3 Then Job replied to the Lord and said,
4
“Behold, I am of little importance and contemptible; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.(A)
5
“I have spoken once, but I will not reply again—
Indeed, twice [I have answered], and I will add nothing further.”
God Questions Job
6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying,
7
“Now [a]gird up your loins (prepare yourself) like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me.
8
“Will you really annul My judgment and set it aside as void?
Will you condemn Me [your God] that you may [appear to] be righteous and justified?
9
“Have you an arm like God,
And can you thunder with a voice like His?
10
“Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity [since you question the Almighty],
And array yourself with honor and majesty.
11
“Pour out the overflowings of your wrath,
And look at everyone who is proud and make him low.
12
Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him,
And [if you are so able] tread down the wicked where they stand.
13
“[Crush and] hide them in the dust together;
Shut them up in the hidden place [the house of death].
14
“[If you can do all this, Job, proving your divine power] then I [God] will also praise you and acknowledge
That your own right hand can save you.
God’s Power Shown in Creatures
15
“Behold now, [b]Behemoth, which I created as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16
“See now, his strength is in his loins
And his power is in the muscles and sinews of his belly.
17
“He sways his tail like a cedar;
The tendons of his thighs are twisted and knit together [like a rope].
18
“His bones are tubes of bronze;
His [c]limbs are like bars of iron.
19
“He is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God;
[Only] He who made him can bring near His sword [to master him].
20
“Surely the mountains bring him food,
And all the wild animals play there.
21
“He lies down under the lotus plants,
In the hidden shelter of the reeds in the marsh.
22
“The lotus plants cover him with their shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23
“If a river rages and overflows, he does not tremble;
He is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth.
24
“Can anyone capture him when he is on watch,
Or pierce his nose with barbs [to trap him]?
God’s Power Shown in Creatures
41 “[d]Can you draw out [e]Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
2
“Can you put a rope [made] of rushes into his nose
Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
3
“Will he make many supplications to you [begging to be spared]?
Or will he speak soft words to you [to coax you to treat him kindly]?
4
“Will he make a covenant or an arrangement with you?
Will you take him for your servant forever?
5
“Will you play with him as with a bird?
Or will you bind him [and put him on a leash] for your maidens?
6
“Will traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him up among the merchants?
7
“Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
8
“Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle [with him]; you will not do such [an ill-advised thing] again!
9
“[f]Behold, his [assailant’s] hope and expectation [of defeating Leviathan] is false;
Will not one be overwhelmed even at the sight of him?
10
“No one is so fierce [and foolhardy] that he dares to stir up Leviathan;
Who then is he who can stand before Me [or dares to contend with Me, the beast’s creator]?
11
“Who has first given to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine. [Who can have a claim against Me who made the unmastered beast?](B)
12
“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Nor his mighty strength, nor his orderly frame.
13
“Who can penetrate or strip off his outer armor?
Who can come to his jaws with a double bridle?
14
“Who can open the doors (jaws) of his face?
Around his [open jaws and] teeth there is terror.
15
“His strong scales are his pride,
Bound together as with a tight seal.
16
“One is so near to another
That no air can come between them.
17
“They are joined one to another;
They stick together and cannot be separated.
18
“His sneezes flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the [reddish] eyelids of the dawn.
19
“Out of his mouth go burning torches,
And sparks of fire leap out.
20
“Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth
As from a boiling pot and [as from] burning rushes.
21
“His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
22
“In Leviathan’s neck resides strength,
And dismay and terror dance before him.
23
“The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm on him and immobile [when he moves].
24
“His heart is as hard as a stone,
Indeed, as solid as a lower millstone.
25
“When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
26
“The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
Nor [does] the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27
“He considers iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood.
28
“The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are treated as stubble by him.
29
“Clubs [also] are regarded as stubble;
He laughs at the rushing and the rattling of the javelin.
30
“His underparts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery;
He moves across and spreads out [grooves] like a threshing sledge on the mire (muddy river banks).
31
“He makes the deep water boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a [foaming] pot of ointment.
32
“Behind him he makes a shining wake;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired [with foam].
33
“Upon earth there is nothing like him—no equal exists,
A creature made without fear.
34
“He looks on everything that is high [without terror];
He is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, [g]who are you who does not dare to disturb the beast, yet who dares resist Me, the beast’s creator? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]”
Job’s Confession
42 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
2
“I know that You can do all things,
And that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained.
3
“[You said to me] ‘Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge?’
Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.(C)
4
‘Hear, please, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct [and answer] me.’
5
“I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear,
But now my [spiritual] eye sees You.
6
“Therefore I retract [my words and hate myself]
And I repent in dust and ashes.”
God Displeased with Job’s Friends
7 It came about that after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him [and his prayer] so that I may not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
God Restores Job’s Fortunes
10 The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.(D) 11 Then all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him over all the [distressing] adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold. 12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.(E) 13 He had seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first [daughter] Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land there were found no women so fair as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. 17 So Job died, an old man and full of days.(F)
Footnotes
- Job 40:7 See note 38:3.
- Job 40:15 Or the hippopotamus. Although Behemoth cannot be identified with certainty, the biblical description seems most like the hippopotamus. In ancient times it may have been even more formidable than today. In Job’s day the hippopotamus was the largest known creature, was commonly found in the lower Nile River, and may also have existed in the Jordan.
- Job 40:18 Lit bones.
- Job 41:1 Ch 40:25 in Hebrew.
- Job 41:1 Or the crocodile. In recent years archeologists have uncovered the remains of crocodiles much larger and far more terrifying than those known today.
- Job 41:9 Ch 41:4 in Hebrew.
- Job 41:34 This repeats the thought of vv 10, 11, which is the key to God’s argument with Job.
Job 40-42
New International Version
Job 40-42
New International Version
40 The Lord said to Job:(A)
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty(B) correct him?(C)
Let him who accuses God answer him!”(D)
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am unworthy(E)—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.(F)
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer(G)—
twice, but I will say no more.”(H)
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:(I)
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(J)
8 “Would you discredit my justice?(K)
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?(L)
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,(M)
and can your voice(N) thunder like his?(O)
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.(P)
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,(Q)
look at all who are proud and bring them low,(R)
12 look at all who are proud(S) and humble them,(T)
crush(U) the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;(V)
shroud their faces in the grave.(W)
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.(X)
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made(Y) along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.(Z)
16 What strength(AA) it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!(AB)
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.(AC)
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs(AD) like rods of iron.(AE)
19 It ranks first among the works of God,(AF)
yet its Maker(AG) can approach it with his sword.(AH)
20 The hills bring it their produce,(AI)
and all the wild animals play(AJ) nearby.(AK)
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds(AL) in the marsh.(AM)
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream(AN) surround it.
23 A raging river(AO) does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan(AP) should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?(AQ)
41 [a]“Can you pull in Leviathan(AR) with a fishhook(AS)
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose(AT)
or pierce its jaw with a hook?(AU)
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy?(AV)
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?(AW)
5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6 Will traders barter for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?(AX)
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!(AY)
9 Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.(AZ)
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.(BA)
Who then is able to stand against me?(BB)
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?(BC)
Everything under heaven belongs to me.(BD)
12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,(BE)
its strength(BF) and its graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor[b]?(BG)
14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth,(BH)
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15 Its back has[c] rows of shields
tightly sealed together;(BI)
16 each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
17 They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.(BJ)
19 Flames(BK) stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from its nostrils(BL)
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 Its breath(BM) sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.(BN)
22 Strength(BO) resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
24 Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.(BP)
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;(BQ)
they retreat before its thrashing.(BR)
26 The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.(BS)
27 Iron it treats like straw(BT)
and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee;(BU)
slingstones are like chaff to it.
29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw;(BV)
it laughs(BW) at the rattling of the lance.
30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.(BX)
31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron(BY)
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.(BZ)
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal(CA)—
a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all that are haughty;(CB)
it is king over all that are proud.(CC)”
Job
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;(CD)
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.(CE)
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’(CF)
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.(CG)
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’(CH)
5 My ears had heard of you(CI)
but now my eyes have seen you.(CJ)
6 Therefore I despise myself(CK)
and repent(CL) in dust and ashes.”(CM)
Epilogue
7 After the Lord had said these things to Job(CN), he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends,(CO) because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.(CP) 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams(CQ) and go to my servant Job(CR) and sacrifice a burnt offering(CS) for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer(CT) and not deal with you according to your folly.(CU) You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”(CV) 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite(CW) did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.(CX)
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes(CY) and gave him twice as much as he had before.(CZ) 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before(DA) came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him,(DB) and each one gave him a piece of silver[d] and a gold ring.
12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.(DC)
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