Job 31
Job Wonders What Sin He May Have Committed
1 “I have made an agreement with my eyes.
Then how can I look with lust at a virgin?
2 What would Eloah above do ⌞to me⌟?
What would be my inheritance from the Shaddai on high?
3 Aren’t there catastrophes for wicked people
and disasters for those who do wrong?
4 Doesn’t he see my ways
and count all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with lies
or my feet have run after deception,
6 ⌞then⌟ let Eloah weigh me on honest scales,
and he will know I have integrity.
7 “If my steps have left the ⌞proper⌟ path,
or my heart has followed ⌞the desire of⌟ my eyes,
or my hands are stained ⌞with sin⌟,
8 ⌞then⌟ let someone else eat what I have planted,
and let my crops be uprooted.
9 “If I have been seduced by a woman
or I have secretly waited near my neighbor’s door,
10 ⌞then⌟ let my wife grind for another ⌞man⌟,
and let other ⌞men⌟ kneel over her.
11 That would be a scandal,
and that would be a criminal offense.
12 It would be a fire that burns even in Abaddon.
It would uproot my entire harvest.
13 “If I have abused the rights of my servants, male or female,
when they have disagreed with me,
14 then what could I do if Eloah rises up?
If he examines me, how could I answer him?
15 Didn’t he who made me in my mother’s belly make them?
Didn’t the same Eloah form us in the womb?
16 “If I have refused the requests of the poor
or made a widow’s eyes stop ⌞looking for help⌟,
17 or have eaten my food alone
without letting the orphan eat any of it….
18 (From my youth the orphan grew up with me
as though I were his father,
and from my birth I treated the widow kindly.)
19 If I have seen anyone die because he had no clothes
or a poor person going naked….
20 (If his body didn’t bless me,
or the wool from my sheep didn’t keep him warm….)
21 If I have shaken my fist at an orphan
because I knew that others would back me up in court,
22 ⌞then⌟ let my shoulder fall out of its socket,
and let my arm be broken at the elbow.
23 “A disaster from Eloah terrifies me.
In the presence of his majesty I can do nothing.
24 “If I put my confidence in gold
or said to fine gold, ‘I trust you’….
25 If I enjoyed being very rich
because my hand had found great ⌞wealth⌟….
26 If I saw the light shine
or the moon move along in its splendor
27 so that my heart was secretly tempted,
and I threw them a kiss with my hand,
28 then that, too, would be a criminal offense,
and I would have denied Eloah above.
29 “If I enjoyed the ruin of my enemy
or celebrated when harm came to him
30 (even though I didn’t speak sinfully
by calling down a curse on his life)….
31 “If the people who were in my tent had said,
‘We wish we had never filled ⌞our stomachs⌟ with his food’….
32 (The visitor never spent the night outside,
because I opened my door to the traveler.)
33 “If I have covered my disobedience like Adam
and kept my sin to myself,
34 because I dreaded the large, noisy crowd
and because the contempt of the ⌞local⌟ mobs terrified me
so that I kept quiet and didn’t go outside….
35 “If only I had someone who would listen to me!
Look, here is my signature!
Let the Shaddai answer me.
Let the prosecutor write ⌞his complaint⌟ on a scroll.
36 I would certainly carry it on my shoulder
and place it on my head like a crown.
37 I would tell him the number of my steps
and approach him like a prince.
38 “If my land has cried out against me,
and its furrows have wept….
39 If I have eaten its produce without paying for it
and made its owners breathe their last,
40 ⌞then⌟ let it grow thistles instead of wheat,
and foul-smelling weeds instead of barley.”
This is the end of Job’s words.
Job 32
Elihu Decides to Speak to Job
1These three men stopped answering Job because Job thought he was righteous. 2Then Elihu, son of Barachel, a descendant of Buz from the family of Ram, became very angry with Job because Job thought he was more righteous than Elohim. 3Elihu was also very angry with Job’s three friends because they had found no answer. They made it look as if Elohim (Masoretic Text “Job.” At times some scribes would alter the text when they thought it was disrespectful to Elohim.) were wrong. 4Elihu waited as they spoke to Job because they were older than he was. 5When Elihu saw that the three men had no further responses, he became very angry.
Elihu Speaks: the Reason for Elihu’s Discourse
6So Elihu, son of Barachel, the descendant of Buz, replied ⌞to Job⌟,
“I am young, and you are old.
That’s why I refrained from speaking
and was afraid to tell you what I know.
7 I thought, ‘Age should speak,
and experience should teach wisdom.’
8 However, there is in humans a Spirit,
the breath of the Shaddai, that gives them understanding.
9 People do not become wise merely because they live long.
They don’t understand what justice is merely because they’re old.
10 “That is why I say, ‘Listen to me!
Let me tell you what I know.’
11 I waited for you to speak.
I listened for you to share your understanding
until you could find the right words.
12 I’ve paid close attention to you,
but none of you refuted Job.
None of you has an answer to what he says.
13 So don’t say, ‘We’ve found wisdom.
Let Eloah, not humans, defeat him.’
14 Job did not choose his words to refute me,
so I won’t answer him with your speeches.
15 “Job’s friends have been overwhelmed and don’t have any more answers.
They don’t have another word to say.
16 Should I wait because they don’t speak,
because they stand there and don’t have any more answers?
17 “I’ll give my answer.
I’ll tell you what I know.
18 I’m full of words.
The Spirit within me forces me ⌞to speak⌟.
19 My belly is like ⌞a bottle of⌟ wine that has not been opened,
like new wineskins that are ready to burst.
20 I must speak to get relief.
I must open my mouth and answer.
21 I won’t be partial toward anyone
or flatter anyone.
22 I don’t know how to flatter.
If I did, my maker would soon carry me away.
Job 33
Elihu Continues: Listen, Job
1 “Please, Job, listen to my words
and consider everything I say.
2 I’ve opened my mouth.
The words are on the tip of my tongue.
3 My words are straight from the heart,
and I sincerely speak the knowledge that is on my lips.
4 “Eloah’s Spirit has made me.
The breath of the Shaddai gives me life.
5 Answer me if you can.
Present your case to me, and take your stand.
6 Indeed, I stand in front of Eloah as you do.
I, too, was formed from a piece of clay.
7 You certainly don’t need to be terrified of me.
I won’t put too much pressure on you.
God Doesn’t Have to Answer You, Job
8 “But you spoke directly to me,
and I listened to your words.
9 ⌞You said,⌟ ‘I’m pure—without any rebellious acts ⌞against Eloah⌟.
I’m clean; I have no sin.
10 Eloah is only looking for an excuse to attack me.
He considers me his enemy.
11 He puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.’
12 You aren’t right about this!
I’ve got an answer for you:
Eloah is greater than any mortal.
13 Why do you quarrel with him
since he doesn’t answer any questions?
Two Ways God Warns People
14 “Eloah speaks in one way,
even in two ways without people noticing it:
15 In a dream, a prophetic vision at night,
when people fall into a deep sleep,
when they sleep on their beds,
16 he opens people’s ears
and terrifies them with warnings.
17 ⌞He warns them⌟ to turn away from doing ⌞wrong⌟
and to stop being arrogant.*
18 He keeps their souls from the pit
and their lives from crossing the River ⌞of Death⌟.
19 In pain on their sickbeds, they are disciplined
with endless aching in their bones
20 so that their whole being hates food
and they lose their appetite for a delicious meal.
21 Their flesh becomes so thin that it can’t be seen.
Their bones, not seen before, will be exposed.
22 Their souls approach the pit.
Their lives come close to those already dead.
A Third Way God Warns People
23 “If they have a messenger for them,
a spokesman, one in a thousand,
to tell people what is right for them,
24 then he will have pity on them and say,
‘Free them from going into the pit.
I have found a ransom.’
25 Then their flesh will become softer than a child’s.
They will go back to the days of their youth.
26 They will pray to Eloah, who will be pleased with them.
They will see Eloah’s face and shout for joy
as he restores their righteousness.†
27 Each one sings in front of other people and says,
‘I sinned and did wrong instead of what was right,
and it did me no good.
28 The messenger has freed my soul from going into the pit,
and my life will see the light.’
29 Truly, Eloah does all this two or three times with people
30 to turn their souls away from the pit
and to enlighten them with the light of life.
Pay Attention, Job
31 “Pay attention, Job! Listen to me!
Keep quiet, and let me speak.
32 If you have a response, answer me.
Speak, because I’d be happy if you were right.
33 If not, you listen to me.
Keep quiet, and I’ll teach you wisdom.”
Job 34
Elihu Continues: Listen, Everyone
1Elihu continued to speak ⌞to Job and his friends⌟,
2 “Listen to my words, you wise men.
Open your ears to me, you intelligent men.
3 The ear tests words
like the tongue tastes food.
4 Let’s decide for ourselves what is right
and agree among ourselves as to what is good,
5 because Job has said,
‘I’m righteous, but Eloah has taken away my rights.
6 I’m considered a liar in spite of my rights.
I’ve been wounded by a deadly arrow,
though I haven’t been disobedient.’
7 What person is like Job,
who drinks scorn like water,
8 who travels with troublemakers
and associates with evil people?
9 He says, ‘It doesn’t do any good to try to please Eloah.’
10 “You people who have understanding, listen to me.
It is unthinkable that Eloah would ever do evil
or that the Shaddai would ever do wicked things.
11 Eloah will repay humanity for what it has done
and will give each person what he deserves.
12 Certainly, Eloah will never do anything evil,
and the Shaddai will never pervert justice.
13 Who put him in charge of the earth?
Who appointed him to be over the whole world?
14 If he thought only of himself
and withdrew his Spirit and his breath,
15 all living beings would die together,
and humanity would return to dust.
God Is Fair
16 “If you understand, listen to this.
Open your ears to my words!
17 Should anyone who hates justice be allowed to govern?
Will you condemn the one who is righteous and mighty?
18 Should anyone ⌞even⌟ say to a king,
‘You good-for-nothing scoundrel!’
or to nobles, ‘You wicked people!’
19 The one who is righteous and mighty
does not grant special favors to princes
or prefer important people over poor people
because his hands made them all.
20 They die suddenly in the middle of the night.
People have seizures and pass away.
Mighty people are taken away but not by human hands.
21 Eloah’s eyes are on a person’s ways.
He sees all his steps.
22 There’s no darkness or deep shadow
where troublemakers can hide.
23 He doesn’t have to set a time for a person
in order to bring him to divine judgment.
24 He breaks mighty people into pieces without examining them
and puts others in their places.
25 He knows what they do,
so he overthrows them at night, and they’re crushed.
26 In return for their evil, he strikes them in public,
27 because they turned away from following him
and didn’t consider any of his ways.
28 They forced the poor to cry out to him,
and he hears the cry of those who suffer.
29 If he keeps quiet, who can condemn him?
If he hides his face, who can see him
whether it is a nation or a single person?
30 ⌞He does this⌟ so that faithless people cannot rule
and so that they cannot trap people.
31 “But suppose such a person says to Eloah, ‘I am guilty,
I will stop my immoral behavior.
32 Teach me what I cannot see.
If I’ve done wrong, I won’t do it again.’
33 Should Eloah reward you on your own terms since you have rejected his?
You must choose, not I.
Tell me what you know. Speak!
Elihu Makes an Appeal to God
34 “People of understanding, the wise people
who listen to me, will say,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge.
His words show no insight.’
36 “My Father, let Job be thoroughly tested
for giving answers like wicked people do.
37 He adds disobedience to his sin.
He claps his hands to insult us.
He multiplies his words against El.”
Job 35
Elihu Continues: I Will Answer You and Your Friends, Job
1Elihu continued to speak ⌞to Job and his friends⌟,
2 “Do you think this is right
when you say, ‘My case is more just than Eloah’s,’
3 when you ask, ‘What benefit is it to you?’
and, ‘What would I gain by sinning?’
4 I will answer you and your friends.
Human Behavior Cannot Change God
5 “Look at the heavens and see.
Observe the clouds high above you.
6 If you’ve sinned, what effect can you have on Eloah?
If you’ve done many wrongs, what can you do to him?
7 If you’re righteous, what can you give him,
or what can he get from you?
8 Your wickedness affects only someone like yourself.
Your righteousness affects only the descendants of Adam.
9 The weight of oppression makes them cry out.
The power of mighty people makes them call for help.
10 But no one asks,
‘Where is Eloah, my Creator,
who inspires songs in the night,
11 who teaches us more than he teaches the animals of the earth,
who makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’
12 Then they cry out, but he doesn’t answer them
because of the arrogance of ⌞those⌟ evil people.
13 “Surely, Eloah doesn’t listen to idle complaints.
The Shaddai doesn’t even pay attention to them.
14 Although you say that you pay attention to him,
your case is in front of him, but you’ll have to wait for him.
15 And now ⌞you say⌟ that his anger doesn’t punish ⌞anyone⌟
and he isn’t too concerned about evil.
16 Job opens his mouth for no good reason
and talks a lot without having any knowledge.”
Job 36
Elihu Continues: Hear Me Out
1Elihu continued to speak ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “Be patient with me a little longer, and I will show you
that there is more to be said in Eloah’s defense.
3 I will get my knowledge from far away
and prove that my Creator is fair.
4 Certainly, my words are not lies.
The one who knows everything is ⌞speaking⌟ with you.
God’s Justice Is Beyond Human Understanding
5 “Certainly, Eloah is mighty.
He doesn’t despise anyone.
He is mighty and brave.
6 He doesn’t allow the wicked person to live.
He grants justice to those who are oppressed.
7 He doesn’t take his eyes off righteous people.
He seats them on thrones with kings to honor them forever.
8 However, if righteous people are bound in chains
and tangled in ropes of misery,
9 he tells them what they’ve done wrong
and that they’ve behaved arrogantly.
10 He makes them listen to his warning
and orders them to turn away from wrong.
11 “If righteous people listen and serve ⌞him⌟,
they will live out their days in prosperity
and their years in comfort.
12 But if they don’t listen,
they will cross the River ⌞of Death⌟
and die like those who have no knowledge.
13 But those who have faithless hearts remain angry.
They don’t even call for help when he chains them up.
14 They die while they’re young,
or they live on as male prostitutes in the temples of idols.
15 He rescues suffering people through their suffering,
and he opens their ears through distress.
16 “Yes, he lured you away from the jaws of trouble
into an open area where you were not restrained,
and your table was covered with rich foods.
17 But you are given the judgment evil people deserve.
A fair judgment will be upheld.
18 Be careful that you are not led astray with riches.
Don’t let a large bribe turn you ⌞to evil ways⌟.
19 Will your riches save you from having to suffer?
Will all your mighty strength help you?
20 Don’t look forward to the night,
when people disappear from their places.
21 Be careful! Don’t turn to evil,
because you have chosen evil instead of suffering.
22 “Eloah does great things by his power.
Is there any teacher like him?
23 Who can tell him which way he should go?
Who can say to him, ‘You did wrong’?
24 Remember that you should praise his work.
People have sung about it.
25 Every person has seen it.
Mortals have looked at it from a distance.
26 “Certainly, Eloah is so great
that he is beyond our understanding.
The number of his years cannot be counted.
27 He collects drops of water.
He distills rain from his mist,
28 which then drips from the clouds.
It pours down on many people.
29 Can anyone really understand how clouds spread out
or how he thunders from his dwelling place?
30 Look, he scatters his flashes of lightning around him
and covers the depths of the sea.
31 This is how he uses the rains to provide for people
and to give them more than enough food.
32 He fills his hands with lightning
and orders it to hit the target.
33 The thunder announces his coming.
The storm announces his angry wrath.
Job 37
Elihu Continues: God’s Ways Are Beyond Human Understanding
1 “My heart pounds because of this
and jumps out of its place.
2 Listen! Listen to the roar of Eloah’s voice,
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 He flashes his lightning everywhere under heaven.
His light flashes to the ends of the earth.
4 It is followed by the roar of his voice.
He thunders with his majestic voice.
He doesn’t hold the lightning back when his thunder is heard.
5 Eloah’s voice thunders in miraculous ways.
It does great things that we cannot understand.
6 “He says to the snow, ‘Fall to the ground,’
and to the pouring rain, ‘Rain harder!’
7 He makes it impossible to do anything *
so that people will recognize his work.
8 Animals go into their dens
and stay in their lairs.
9 A storm comes out of its chamber.
It is cold because of the strong winds.
10 Eloah’s breath produces ice,
and the seas freeze over.
11 Yes, he loads the thick clouds with moisture
and scatters his lightning from the clouds.
12 He guides the clouds as they churn round and round
over the face of the inhabited earth
to do everything he orders them.
13 Whether for discipline,
or for ⌞the good of⌟ his earth,
or out of mercy,
he makes the storm appear.
14 “Open your ears to this, Job.
Stop and consider Eloah’s miracles.
15 Do you know how Eloah controls them
and makes the lightning flash from his clouds?
16 Do you know how the clouds drift
(these are the miracles of the one who knows everything),
17 you whose clothes are hot and sweaty,
when the earth is calm under a south wind?
18 Can you stretch out the skies with him
and make them as firm as a mirror made of metal?
19 Teach us what we should say to him.
We are unable to prepare ⌞a case⌟ because of darkness.
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
Can a person speak when he is confused?
21 People can’t look at the sun
when it’s bright among the clouds
or after the wind has blown and cleared those clouds away.
22 A golden light comes from the north.
A terrifying majesty is around Eloah.
23 The Shaddai, whom we can’t reach,
is great in power and judgment,
has more than enough righteousness,
and does not oppress.
24 That is why people should fear him.
He does not respect those who think they’re wise.”
Job 38
The LORD Speaks: Who Is Able to Challenge Me?
1Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.
2 “Who is this that belittles my advice
with words that do not show any knowledge ⌞about it⌟?
3 Brace yourself like a man!
I will ask you, and you will teach me.
The LORD Speaks about Creation
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me if you have ⌞such⌟ insight.
5 Who determined its dimensions?
Certainly, you know!
Who stretched a measuring line over it?
6 On what were its footings sunk?
Who laid its cornerstone
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of Elohim shouted for joy?
8 “Who shut the sea behind gates
when it burst through and came out of the womb,
9 when I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it up in dark clouds,
10 when I set a limit for it
and put up bars and gates,
11 when I said, ‘You may come this far but no farther.
Here your proud waves will stop’?
12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning
or assigned a place for the dawn
13 so that it could grab the earth by its edges
and shake wicked people out of it?
14 The earth changes like clay stamped by a seal,
and ⌞parts of it⌟ stand out like ⌞folds in⌟ clothing.
15 Wicked people are deprived of their light,
and an arm raised ⌞in victory⌟ is broken.
16 Have you gone to the springs in the sea
or walked through the valleys of the ocean depths?
17 Have the gateways to death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gateways to total darkness?
18 Have you ⌞even⌟ considered how wide the earth is?
Tell me, if you know all of this!
19 “What is the way to the place where light lives?
Where is the home of darkness
20 so that you may lead it to its territory,
so that you may know the path to its home?
21 You must know because you were born then
and have lived such a long time!
22 Have you been to the warehouses where snow is stored
or seen the warehouses for hail
23 that I have stored up for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war?
24 Which is the way to the place where light is scattered
and the east wind is spread across the earth?
25 “Who made a channel for the flooding rains
and a path for the thunderstorms
26 to bring rain on a land where no one lives,
on a desert where there are no humans,
27 to saturate the desolate wasteland
in order to make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who gave birth to the dewdrops?
29 From whose womb came the ice,
and who has given birth to the frost in the air?
30 The water hardens like a stone,
and the surface of the ocean freezes over.
31 “Can you connect the chains of the ⌞constellation⌟ Pleiades
or untie the ropes of Orion?
32 Can you bring out the constellations at the right time
or guide Ursa Major with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the sky
or make them rule the earth?
34 Can you call to the clouds
and have a flood of water cover you?
35 Can you send lightning flashes so that they may go and say to you,
‘Here we are’?
36 Who put wisdom in the heart
or gave understanding to the mind?
37 Who is wise enough to count the clouds
or pour out the water jars of heaven
38 when the dirt hardens into clumps
and the soil clings together?
The Lioness
39 “Can you hunt prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of her cubs
40 as they crouch in their dens
and lie ready to ambush from their lairs?
The Crow
41 “Who provides food for the crow
when its young ones cry to El
and wander around in need of food?
Job 39
The LORD Continues: the Mountain Goats
1 “Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch the does when they are in labor?
2 Can you count the months they are pregnant
or know the time when they’ll give birth?
3 They kneel down to give birth and deliver their young.
Then the pain of giving birth is over.
4 Their young are healthy and grow up in the wild.
They leave and don’t come back.
The Wild Donkey
5 “Who lets the wild donkey go free?
Who unties the ropes of the wild donkey?
6 I gave it the desert to live in
and the salt flats as its dwelling place.
7 It laughs at the noise of the city
and doesn’t ⌞even⌟ listen to the shouting of its master.
8 It explores the mountains for its pasture
and looks for anything green.
The Wild Ox
9 “Will the wild ox agree to serve you,
or will it stay at night beside your feeding trough?
10 Can you guide a wild ox in a furrow,
or will it plow the valleys behind you?
11 Can you trust it just because it’s so strong
or leave your labor to it?
12 Can you rely on it to bring your grain back
and take it to your threshing floor? *
The Ostrich
13 “Does the ostrich flap its wings in joy,
or do its wings lack feathers? †
14 It lays its eggs on the ground
and warms them in the dust.
15 It forgets that a foot may crush them
or a wild animal may trample them.
16 It acts harshly toward its young as if they weren’t its own.
It is not afraid that its work is for nothing
17 because Eloah has deprived it of wisdom
and did not give it any understanding.
18 It laughs at the horse and its rider when it gets up to flee.
The Horse
19 “Can you give strength to a horse
or dress its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Can you make it leap like a locust,
when its snorting causes terror?
21 It paws in strength and finds joy in its power.
It charges into battle.
22 It laughs at fear,
is afraid of nothing,
and doesn’t back away from swords.
23 A quiver of arrows rattles on it
along with the flashing spear and javelin.
24 Anxious and excited, the horse eats up the ground
and doesn’t trust the sound of the ram’s horn.
25 As often as the horn sounds, the horse says, ‘Aha!’
and it smells the battle far away—
the thundering ⌞orders⌟ of the captains and the battle cries.
The Birds of Prey
26 “Does your understanding make a bird of prey fly
and spread its wings toward the south?
27 Is it by your order that the eagle flies high
and makes its nest on the heights?
28 It perches for the night on a cliff.
Its fortress is on a jagged peak.
29 From there it seeks food,
and its eyes see it from far away.
30 Its young ones feed on blood. It is found wherever there are dead bodies.”
Job 40
The LORD Speaks
1The Lord responded to Job,
2 “Will the person who finds fault with the Shaddai correct him?
Will the person who argues with Eloah answer him?”
Job Speaks
3Job answered the Lord,
4 “I’m so insignificant. How can I answer you?
I will put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I can’t answer—
twice, but not again.”
The LORD Speaks: Can You Be Like Me, Job?
6Then the Lord responded to Job out of a storm,
7 “Brace yourself like a man!
I will ask you, and you will teach me.
8 “Would you undo my justice?
Would you condemn me so that you can be righteous?
9 Do you have power like Eloah’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Then dress yourself in majesty and dignity.
Clothe yourself in splendor and glory.
11 Unleash your outbursts of anger.
Look at all who are arrogant, and put them down.
12 Look at all who are arrogant, and humble them.
Crush wicked people wherever they are.
13 Hide them completely in the dust,
and cover their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then even I will praise you
because your right hand can save you.
Can You Conquer Behemoth, Job?
15 “Look at Behemoth,* which I made along with you.
It eats grass as cattle do.
16 Look at the strength in its back muscles,
the power in its stomach muscles.
17 It makes its tail stiff like a cedar.
The ligaments of its thighs are intertwined.
18 Its bones are bronze tubes.
They are like iron bars.
19 Behemoth is the first of Eloah’s conquests.
Its maker approaches it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it food,
and all the wild animals play there.
21 It lies down under the lotus plants
in a hiding place among reeds and swamps.
22 Lotus plants provide it with cover.
Poplars by the stream surround it.
23 Though the river flows powerfully against it, it’s not alarmed.
It’s confident ⌞even⌟ when the Jordan rushes against its mouth.
24 Can anyone blind its eyes †
or pierce its nose with snares?
Job 41
The LORD Continues: Can You Conquer Leviathan, Job?
1 *“Can you pull Leviathan out ⌞of the water⌟ with a fishhook
or tie its tongue down with a rope?
2 Can you put a ring through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3 Will it plead with you for mercy
or speak tenderly to you?
4 Will it make an agreement with you
so that you can take it as your permanent slave?
5 Can you play with it like a bird
or keep it on a leash for your girls?
6 Will traders bargain over it
and divide it among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
8 Lay your hand on it.
Think of the struggle!
Don’t do it again!
9 Certainly, any hope ⌞of defeating it⌟ is a false hope.
Doesn’t the sight of it overwhelm you?
10 No one is brave enough to provoke Leviathan.
Then who can stand in front of me? †
11 Who can confront me that I should repay him?
Everything under heaven belongs to me!
12 “I will not be silent about Leviathan’s limbs,
its strength, or its graceful form.
13 Who can skin its hide?
Who can approach it with a harness?
14 Who can open its closed mouth?
Its teeth are surrounded by terror.
15 Its back has rows of scales that are tightly sealed.
16 One is so close to the other
that there is no space between them.
17 Each is joined to the other.
They are locked together and inseparable.
18 When Leviathan sneezes, it gives out a flash of light.
Its eyes are like the first rays of the dawn.
19 Flames shoot from its mouth.
Sparks of fire fly from it.
20 Smoke comes from its nostrils
like a boiling pot heated over brushwood.
21 Its breath sets coals on fire,
and a flame pours from its mouth.
22 Strength resides in its neck,
and power dances in front of it.
23 The folds of its flesh stick to each other.
They are solid and cannot be moved.
24 Its chest is solid like a rock,
solid like a millstone.
25 “The mighty are afraid when Leviathan rises.
Broken down, they draw back.
26 A sword may strike it but not pierce it.
Neither will a spear, lance, or dart.
27 It considers iron to be like straw
and bronze to be like rotten wood.
28 An arrow won’t make it run away.
Stones from a sling turn to dust against it.
29 It considers clubs to be like stubble,
and it laughs at a rattling javelin.
30 Its underside is like sharp pieces of broken pottery.
It stretches out like a threshing ‡ sledge on the mud.
31 It makes the deep sea boil like a pot.
It stirs up the ocean like a boiling kettle.
32 It leaves a shining path behind it
so that the sea appears to have silvery hair.
33 Nothing on land can compare to it.
It was made fearless.
34 It looks down on all high things.
It is king of everyone who is arrogant.”
Job 42
Job Speaks: I Admit That I Was Wrong
1Then Job answered the Lord,
2 “I know that you can do everything
and that your plans are unstoppable.
3 “⌞You said,⌟ ‘Who is this that belittles my advice
without having any knowledge ⌞about it⌟?’
Yes, I have stated things I didn’t understand,
things too mysterious for me to know.
4 “⌞You said,⌟ ‘Listen now, and I will speak.
I will ask you, and you will teach me.’
5 I had heard about you with my own ears,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 That is why I take back what I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry.”
Job’s Life Is Restored
7After the Lord had said those things to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz from Teman, “I’m very angry with you and your two friends because you didn’t speak what is right about me as my servant Job has done. 8So take seven young bulls and seven rams. Go to my servant Job, and make a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you. Then I will accept his prayer not to treat you as faithless fools. After all, you didn’t speak what is right about me as my servant Job has done.”
9Then Eliphaz of Teman, Bildad of Shuah, and Zophar of Naama went and did what the Lord had told them to do. And the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
10After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored Job’s prosperity and gave him twice as much ⌞as he had before⌟. 11Then all his brothers and sisters and everyone who had previously known him came to him. They ate with him at his house, sympathized with him, and comforted him for all the evil the Lord had brought to him. Each one gave him some money and a gold ring.
12The Lord blessed the latter years of Job’s life more than the earlier years. He had 14,000 sheep and goats, 6,000 camels, 2,000 oxen, and 1,000 donkeys. 13He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14He named the first ⌞daughter⌟ Jemimah, the second Cassia, and the third Keren Happuch. 15Nowhere in the whole country could be found women who were as beautiful as Job’s daughters. Their father gave them and their brothers an inheritance.
16Job lived 140 years after this. He saw his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. (Or “grandchildren, four generations.”) 17Then at a very old age, Job died.