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Job 40-42
Easy-to-Read Version
Job 40-42
Easy-to-Read Version
40 Then the Lord said to Job,
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!”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
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.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job again from the storm:
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.”
Job Answers the Lord
42 Then Job answered the Lord:
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.”
The Lord Gives Job’s Wealth Back
7 After the Lord finished talking to Job, he spoke to Eliphaz from Teman. He said, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you did not tell the truth about me, as my servant Job did. 8 So now, Eliphaz, get seven bulls and seven rams. Take them to my servant Job. Kill them and offer them as a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will answer his prayer. Then I will not give you the punishment you deserve. You should be punished, because you were very foolish. You did not say what is right about me, as my servant Job did.”
9 So Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah obeyed the Lord. Then the Lord answered Job’s prayer.
10 Job prayed for his friends, and the Lord made Job successful again. The Lord gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his brothers and sisters and all the people who knew him before came to his house. They all ate a big meal with him. They comforted him and were sorry that the Lord had brought him so much trouble. Each person gave Job a piece of silver and a gold ring.
12 The Lord blessed Job with even more than he had in the beginning. Job got 14,000 sheep, 6000 camels, 2000 oxen, and 1000 female donkeys. 13 He also got seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first daughter Jemimah and the second daughter Keziah. He named the third daughter Keren Happuch. 15 Job’s daughters were among the most beautiful women in all the country. And, like their brothers, they each got a share of their father’s property.[k]
16 So Job lived for 140 years more. He lived to see his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, and his great-great-grandchildren. 17 Job lived to be a very old man who had lived a good, long life.
Footnotes
- Job 40:7 Brace yourself Literally, “Gird yourself like a man.” This means “get ready for battle.”
- Job 40:15 behemoth This might be a hippopotamus, a rhinoceros, or possibly an elephant.
- Job 41:1 Leviathan This animal might be a crocodile or a giant sea monster.
- Job 41:10 Well, no one … either Or “No one can stand and fight him.”
- Job 41:11 Or “No one has come near to Leviathan and survived—no one under heaven!”
- Job 41:13 It is like armor Or “No one can approach him with a bridle.”
- Job 41:25 strongest people Or “gods.”
- Job 42:3 Who … things Or “Who is this person darkening advice with ignorant words.”
- Job 42:6 I am ashamed of myself Or “I take back what I said.”
- Job 42:6 dust and ashes People sat in dust and ashes to show that they were very sad about something.
- Job 42:15 And … property Usually a person’s property was divided only among the sons, but here, even Job’s daughters got part of his property.
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)
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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