Bible

Job 41 (CEV)

Topics in Book | Outline of Book | Facts About Book | Commentary | Parallel Verse

NET | ESV | KJV | ASV | RSV | Good News | CEV | Basic | MSG | Spanish | French

Previous Chapter | Browse | Next Chapter

¹ Can you catch a sea monster by using a fishhook? Can you tie its mouth shut with a rope? ² Can it be led around by a ring in its nose or a hook in its jaw? ³ Will it beg for mercy? ⁴ Will it surrender as a slave for life? ⁵ Can it be tied by the leg like a pet bird for little girls? ⁶ Is it ever chopped up and its pieces bargained for in the fish-market? ⁷ Can it be killed with harpoons or spears? ⁸ Wrestle it just once-- that will be the end. ⁹ Merely a glimpse of this monster makes all courage melt. ¹⁰ And if it is too fierce for anyone to attack, who would dare oppose me? ¹¹ I am in command of the world and in debt to no one. ¹² What powerful legs, what a stout body this monster possesses! ¹³ Who could strip off its armor or bring it under control with a harness? ¹⁴ Who would try to open its jaws, full of fearsome teeth? ¹⁵ Its back is covered with shield after shield, ¹⁶ firmly bound and closer together ¹⁷ than breath to breath. ¹⁸ When this monster sneezes, lightning flashes, and its eyes glow like the dawn. ¹⁹ Sparks and fiery flames explode from its mouth. ²⁰ And smoke spews from its nose like steam from a boiling pot, ²¹ while its blazing breath scorches everything in sight. ²² Its neck is so tremendous that everyone trembles, ²³ the weakest parts of its body are harder than iron, ²⁴ and its heart is stone. ²⁵ When this noisy monster appears, even the most powerful turn and run in fear. ²⁶ No sword or spear can harm it, ²⁷ and weapons of bronze or iron are as useless as straw or rotten wood. ²⁸ Rocks thrown from a sling cause it no more harm than husks of grain. This monster fears no arrows, ²⁹ it simply smiles at spears, and striking it with a stick is like slapping it with straw. ³⁰ As it crawls through the mud, its sharp and spiny hide tears the ground apart. ³¹ And when it swims down deep, the sea starts churning like boiling oil, ³² and it leaves behind a trail of shining white foam. ³³ No other creature on earth is so fearless. ³⁴ It is king of all proud creatures, and it looks upon the others as nothing.