41:1 Can you catch a sea monster by using a fishhook? Can you tie its mouth shut with a rope? |
41:2 Can it be led around by a ring in its nose or a hook in its jaw? |
41:3 Will it beg for mercy? |
41:4 Will it surrender as a slave for life? |
41:5 Can it be tied by the leg like a pet bird for little girls? |
41:6 Is it ever chopped up and its pieces bargained for in the fish-market? |
41:7 Can it be killed with harpoons or spears? |
41:8 Wrestle it just once-- that will be the end. |
41:9 Merely a glimpse of this monster makes all courage melt. |
41:10 And if it is too fierce for anyone to attack, who would dare oppose me? |
41:11 I am in command of the world and in debt to no one. |
41:12 What powerful legs, what a stout body this monster possesses! |
41:13 Who could strip off its armor or bring it under control with a harness? |
41:14 Who would try to open its jaws, full of fearsome teeth? |
41:15 Its back is covered with shield after shield, |
41:16 firmly bound and closer together |
41:17 than breath to breath. |
41:18 When this monster sneezes, lightning flashes, and its eyes glow like the dawn. |
41:19 Sparks and fiery flames explode from its mouth. |
41:20 And smoke spews from its nose like steam from a boiling pot, |
41:21 while its blazing breath scorches everything in sight. |
41:22 Its neck is so tremendous that everyone trembles, |
41:23 the weakest parts of its body are harder than iron, |
41:24 and its heart is stone. |
41:25 When this noisy monster appears, even the most powerful turn and run in fear. |
41:26 No sword or spear can harm it, |
41:27 and weapons of bronze or iron are as useless as straw or rotten wood. |
41:28 Rocks thrown from a sling cause it no more harm than husks of grain. This monster fears no arrows, |
41:29 it simply smiles at spears, and striking it with a stick is like slapping it with straw. |
41:30 As it crawls through the mud, its sharp and spiny hide tears the ground apart. |
41:31 And when it swims down deep, the sea starts churning like boiling oil, |
41:32 and it leaves behind a trail of shining white foam. |
41:33 No other creature on earth is so fearless. |
41:34 It is king of all proud creatures, and it looks upon the others as nothing. |