Job 40
Tree of Life Version
Insignificant Before God
40 Then Adonai answered Job, saying:
2 “Will the one who contends with Shaddai correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer!”
3 Then Job answered Adonai. He said:
4 “Indeed, I am unworthy—what can I reply to You?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more.”
6 Then Adonai answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you will inform Me!
8 “Would you really annul My judgment?
Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s
and can you thunder with a voice like His?
10 Then adorn yourself in majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself in splendor and honor.
11 Scatter the fury of your anger.
Look at every proud personand bring him low;
12 look at everyone who is proud and humble him;
tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Hide them together in the dust
bind their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then I—even I will acknowledge to you,
that your own right hand can save you!
Behemoth and Leviathan
15 “Look now at Behemoth, which I made along with you.
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Now look at his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze;
His limbs like rods of iron.
19 He is first among the ways of God,
Let his Maker draw near with His sword!
20 For the mountains bring him food,
and all the wild animals play there.
21 Under the lotus plants he lies down,
in the secrecy of the reeds and marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal him in their shade;
the willows of the brook surround him.
23 If the river rages, he is not alarmed.
He is secure, even though the Jordan surges against his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by its eyes,
or pierce his nose with hooks?
25 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook,[a]
or tie down his tongue with a cord?
26 Can you put a reed rope in his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?
27 Will he make many supplications to you,
or speak softly to you?
28 Will he make a covenant with you,
so you can take him as a slave forever?
29 Can you play with him like a bird,
or put him on a leash for your girls?
30 Will traders barter for him?
Will they divide him among the merchants?
31 Can you fill his hide with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
32 If you lay your hands on him—
you will remember the battle and never do it again!
Footnotes
- Job 40:25 Traditional Christian text numbered as 41:1-34.
Job 40
New Living Translation
40 Then the Lord said to Job,
2 “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”
Job Responds to the Lord
3 Then Job replied to the Lord,
4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
5 I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”
The Lord Challenges Job Again
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
8 “Will you discredit my justice
and condemn me just to prove you are right?
9 Are you as strong as God?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 All right, put on your glory and splendor,
your honor and majesty.
11 Give vent to your anger.
Let it overflow against the proud.
12 Humiliate the proud with a glance;
walk on the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them in the dust.
Imprison them in the world of the dead.
14 Then even I would praise you,
for your own strength would save you.
15 “Take a look at Behemoth,[a]
which I made, just as I made you.
It eats grass like an ox.
16 See its powerful loins
and the muscles of its belly.
17 Its tail is as strong as a cedar.
The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze.
Its limbs are bars of iron.
19 It is a prime example of God’s handiwork,
and only its Creator can threaten it.
20 The mountains offer it their best food,
where all the wild animals play.
21 It lies under the lotus plants,[b]
hidden by the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotus plants give it shade
among the willows beside the stream.
23 It is not disturbed by the raging river,
not concerned when the swelling Jordan rushes around it.
24 No one can catch it off guard
or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
