| 1 | Moreover, the Lord said to Job, |
| 2 | Shall he who would find fault with the Almighty contend with Him? He who disputes with God, let him answer it. |
| 3 | Then Job replied to the Lord: |
| 4 | Behold, I am of small account
and
vile! What shall I answer You? I lay my hand upon my mouth. |
| 5 | I have spoken once, but I will not reply again—indeed, twice [have I answered], but I will proceed no further. |
| 6 | Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying, |
| 7 | Gird up your loins now like a man; I will demand of you, and you answer Me. |
| 8 | Will you also annul (set aside and render void) My judgment? Will you condemn Me [your God], that you may [appear] righteous
and
justified? |
| 9 | Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? |
| 10 | [Since you question the manner of the Almighty’s rule] deck yourself now with the excellency
and
dignity [of the Supreme Ruler, and yourself undertake the government of the world if you are so wise],
and
array yourself with honor and majesty. |
| 11 | Pour forth the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him; |
| 12 | Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low, and tread down the wicked where they stand [if you are so able, Job]. |
| 13 | [Bury and] hide them all in the dust together; [and] shut them up [in the prison house of death]. |
| 14 | [If you can do all this, Job, proving yourself of divine might] then will I [God] praise you also [and acknowledge that] your own right hand can save you. |
| 15 | Behold now the behemoth (the hippopotamus), which I created as I did you; he eats grass like an ox. |
| 16 | See now, his strength is in his loins, and his power is in the sinews of his belly. |
| 17 | He moves his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are twisted together [like a rope]. |
| 18 | His bones are like tubes of bronze; his limbs [or ribs] are like bars of iron. |
| 19 | [The hippopotamus] is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God [in animal life]; [only] He Who made him provides him with his [swordlike tusks, or only God Who made him can bring near His sword to master him]. |
| 20 | Surely the mountains bring him food, where all the wild animals play. |
| 21 | He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reeds in the marsh. |
| 22 | The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows of the brook compass him about. |
| 23 | Behold, if a river is violent
and
overflows, he does not tremble; he is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth. |
| 24 | Can any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare? |
Cross references:
-
Job 40:4 : Ezra 9:6; Ps. 51:4.
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