40:1 MOREOVER, THE Lord said to Job, |
40:2 Shall he who would find fault with the Almighty contend with Him? He who disputes with God, let him answer it. |
40:3 Then Job replied to the Lord: |
40:4 Behold, I am of small account {and} vile! What shall I answer You? I lay my hand upon my mouth. |
40:5 I have spoken once, but I will not reply again--indeed, twice [have I answered], but I will proceed no further. |
40:6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying, |
40:7 Gird up your loins now like a man; I will demand of you, and you answer Me. |
40:8 Will you also annul (set aside and render void) My judgment? Will you condemn Me [your God], that you may [appear] righteous {and} justified? |
40:9 Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? |
40:10 [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. |
40:11 Pour forth the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him; |
40:12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low, and tread down the wicked where they stand [if you are so able, Job]. |
40:13 [Bury and] hide them all in the dust together; [and] shut them up [in the prison house of death]. |
40:14 [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. |
40:15 Behold now the behemoth (the hippopotamus), which I created as I did you; he eats grass like an ox. |
40:16 See now, his strength is in his loins, and his power is in the sinews of his belly. |
40:17 He moves his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are twisted together [like a rope]. |
40:18 His bones are like tubes of bronze; his limbs [or ribs] are like bars of iron. |
40:19 [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]. |
40:20 Surely the mountains bring him food, where all the wild animals play. |
40:21 He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reeds in the marsh. |
40:22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows of the brook compass him about. |
40:23 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. |
40:24 Can any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare? |