New International Version NIV
New King James Version NKJV
1 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope?
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"Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook?
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Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy? Will it speak to you with gentle words?
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Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you?
4 Will it make an agreement with you for you to take it as your slave for life?
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Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever?
5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
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Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens?
6 Will traders barter for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?
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Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears?
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Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears?
8 If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
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Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle-- Never do it again!
9 Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering.
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Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against me?
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No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me?
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
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Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, its strength and its graceful form.
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"I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor ?
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Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle?
14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth, ringed about with fearsome teeth?
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Who can open the doors of his face, With his terrible teeth all around?
15 Its back has rows of shields tightly sealed together;
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His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal;
16 each is so close to the next that no air can pass between.
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One is so near another That no air can come between them;
17 They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted.
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They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
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His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Flames stream from its mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.
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Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
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Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 Its breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from its mouth.
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His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth.
22 Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it.
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Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.
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The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
24 Its chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone.
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His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone.
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before its thrashing.
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When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves.
26 The sword that reaches it has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
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Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
27 Iron it treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.
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He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee; slingstones are like chaff to it.
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The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him.
29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw; it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
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Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins.
30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
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His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire.
31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
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He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it; one would think the deep had white hair.
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He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal— a creature without fear.
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On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear.
34 It looks down on all that are haughty; it is king over all that are proud.”
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He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride."
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.