Job 40

Job answers the LORD

¹Then the LORD answered Job: ²Will the one who finds fault contend with the Almighty? \q Let the one who argues against God give an answer.^a

³Then Job answered the LORD: ⁴I am so small; how can I answer you? \q I put my hand over my mouth.^{b 5}I have spoken once, and I will not reply; \q twice, and I will say no more.

Will you condemn me so that you may be in the right?

⁶Then the LORD answered Job from the storm: ⁷Brace yourself like a man; \q I will question you, \q and you will tell me the answers. ⁸Would you really set aside my justice? \q Would you condemn me to prove that you are right? ⁹Do you have an arm like God’s? \q Can you thunder with a voice like his? ¹⁰Then put on majesty and dignity; \q clothe yourself with splendor and glory. ¹¹Unleash the fury of your anger; \q look at all who are proud and bring them down. ¹²Look at all who are proud and humble them; \q crush the wicked where they stand. ¹³Bury them all together in the dust; \q shroud their faces in the hidden place. ¹⁴Then I myself will admit to you \q that your own right hand can save you. ¹⁵Look at Behemoth, which I made just as I made you; \q it eats grass like an ox.^{c 16}See the strength in its hips, \q the power in the muscles of its belly! ¹⁷Its tail stiffens like a cedar; \q the sinews of its thighs are tightly woven.^{d 18}Its bones are pipes of bronze, \q its limbs like bars of iron. ¹⁹It is the first of the works of God; \q only its Maker can come near it with his sword.^{e 20}The hills bring it their produce, \q and all the wild animals play nearby. ²¹It lies under the lotus plants, \q hidden among the reeds of the marsh. ²²The lotus bushes cover it with their shade; \q the poplars by the stream surround it. ²³Even when the river surges, it is not alarmed; \q it stays calm though the Jordan rushes against its mouth. ²⁴Can anyone capture it while it is watching, \q or pierce its nose with a snare?^{f 25}Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook \q or tie down its tongue with a rope?^{gh 26}Can you put a cord through its nose \q or pierce its jaw with a hook? ²⁷Will it keep begging you for mercy? \q Will it speak gently to you? ²⁸Will it make a covenant with you \q for you to take it as your slave for life? ²⁹Will you play with it as with a pet bird \q or put it on a leash for your young girls? ³⁰Will traders bargain over it? \q Will they divide it up among the merchants? ³¹Can you fill its hide with harpoons \q or its head with fishing spears? ³²Just lay a hand on it, \q and you will remember the fight and never do it again.