Old Testament

Job 40
The Lord Confronts Job
401The Lord responded to Job and said:
2Will the one who makes charges against the Almighty dare to correct him?
The one who accuses God should make his case!
3Job answered the Lord and said:
4No, I am insignificant.[]
How could I reply to you?
I will put my hand over my mouth.
5I spoke once, but I cannot defend it.
Twice, but I will not go any further.
6Then the Lord answered Job from the violent storm. He said:
7Get ready for action like a man! Then I will ask you questions,
and you will inform me.
8Will you really deny that I am just?
Will you convict me, so that you can be acquitted?
9Do you have an arm like God's arm?
Does your voice thunder like his?
10Go ahead, please. Adorn yourself with dignity and honor.
Clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
11Pour out your overflowing anger.
Look at every proud man and bring him low.
12Look at every proud man and humble him.
Trample the wicked where they stand.
13Bury them all together in the dust.
Cover their faces in the hidden place.
14Then I will praise you
and admit that your right hand can save you.
Behemoth
15Take a look at Behemoth,[]
which I made just as I made you.
He eats grass like cattle.
16Would you look at the power of his hips
and the strength of the muscles of his belly!
17He stiffens his tail[] like a cedar.
The tendons of his thighs[] are tight.
18His bones are tubes of bronze.
His skeleton is like bars of iron.
19He stands at the head of God's creatures,
but his Maker draws near with his sword.[]
20Yes, the mountains carry their floodwaters[] to him.
All the wild animals play there.
21He lies under the lotus plants,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22The lotus plants cover him with their shadows.
Poplars by the stream surround him.
23The river rages, but he is not frightened.
He remains calm even if the Jordan bursts into his mouth.
24Can people capture him by his eyes?
Can they pierce his nose with a hook?

Footnotes

  • 40:4 Or not worthy
  • 40:15 Or the Beast. This is a poetic description, which does not exactly match any known animal, though the hippopotamus has been suggested as the closest match. Other suggestions are the elephant or some form of dinosaur.
  • 40:17 Or penis. The Hebrew word zanav, which most often means tail, can be used as a euphemism for penis.
  • 40:17 Or testicles. The Targum, the Vulgate, Luther, and the King James Version all support the interpretation testicles.
  • 40:19 Or his Maker provided him with his sword
  • 40:20 Or food. The word occurs only here. The translation accepts the view that it is derived from a verb that means flow violently. Many translations accept a derivation from a verb that means produce.