Job 40; Job 41; Job 42

1 The LORD continued,

2 "I am the Mighty One. Will the man who argues with me correct me? Let him who brings charges against me answer me!"

3 Job replied to the Lord,

4 "I'm not worthy. How can I reply to you? I'm putting my hand over my mouth. I'll stop talking.

5 I spoke once. But I really don't have any answer. I spoke twice. But I won't say anything else."

6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said,

7 "Get ready to stand up for yourself. I will ask you some more questions. Then I want you to answer me.

8 "Would you dare to claim that I am not being fair? Would you judge me in order to make yourself seem right?

9 Is your arm as powerful as mine is? Can your voice thunder as mine does?

10 Then put on glory and beauty as if they were your clothes. Also put honor and majesty on.

11 Let loose your great anger. Look at those who are proud and bring them low.

12 Look at proud people and bring them down. Crush those who are evil right where they are.

13 Bury their bodies in the dust together. Cover their faces in the grave.

14 Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.

15 "Look at the behemoth. It is a huge animal. I made both of you. It eats grass like an ox.

16 Look at the strength it has in its hips! What power it has in the muscles of its stomach!

17 Its tail sways back and forth like a cedar tree. The tendons of its thighs are close together.

18 Its bones are like tubes made out of bronze. Its legs are like rods made out of iron.

19 It ranks first among my works. I made it. I can approach it with my sword.

20 The hills produce food for it. All of the other wild animals play near it.

21 It lies under lotus plants. It hides in tall grass in the swamps.

22 The lotus plants hide it in their shade. Poplar trees near streams surround it.

23 It is not afraid when the river roars. It is secure even when the Jordan River rushes against its mouth.

24 Can anyone capture it by its eyes? Can anyone trap it and poke a hole through its nose?

1 "Job, can you pull the leviathan out of the sea with a fish hook? Can you tie down its tongue with a rope?

2 Can you put a rope through its nose? Can you stick a hook through its jaw?

3 Will it keep begging you for mercy? Will it speak gently to you?

4 Will it make an agreement with you? Can you make it your slave for life?

5 Can you make a pet out of it like a bird? Can you put it on a leash for your young women?

6 Will traders offer you something for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?

7 Can you fill its body with harpoons? Can you throw fishing spears into its head?

8 If you touch it, it will fight you. Then you will remember never to touch it again!

9 No one can possibly control the leviathan. Just looking at it will terrify you.

10 No one dares to wake it up. So who can possibly stand up to me?

11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything on earth belongs to me.

12 "Now I will speak about the leviathan's legs. I will talk about its strength and its graceful body.

13 Who can strip off its outer coat? Who would try to put a bridle on it?

14 Who dares to open its jaws? Its mouth is filled with terrifying teeth.

15 Its back has rows of shields that are close together.

16 Each one is so close to the next one that not even air can pass between them.

17 They are joined tightly to one another. They stick together and can't be forced apart.

18 The leviathan's snorting throws out flashes of light. Its eyes shine like the first light of day.

19 Fire seems to spray out of its mouth. Sparks of fire shoot out.

20 Smoke pours out of its nose. It is like smoke from a boiling pot over burning grass.

21 Its breath sets coals on fire. Flames fly out of its mouth.

22 Its neck is very strong. People run to get out of its way.

23 Its rolls of fat are close together. They are firm and can't be moved.

24 Its chest is as hard as rock. It is as hard as a lower millstone.

25 When the leviathan rises up, even mighty people are terrified. They run away when it moves around wildly.

26 A sword that strikes it has no effect. Neither does a spear or dart or javelin.

27 It treats iron as if it were straw. It crushes bronze as if it were rotten wood.

28 Arrows do not make it run away. Stones that are thrown from slings are like straw hitting it.

29 A club seems like a piece of straw to it. It laughs when it hears a javelin rattling.

30 Its undersides are like broken pieces of pottery. It leaves a trail in the mud like a threshing sled.

31 It makes the ocean churn like a boiling pot. It stirs up the sea like perfume someone is making.

32 It leaves a shiny trail behind it. You would think the ocean had white hair.

33 Nothing on earth is equal to the leviathan. That creature is not afraid of anything.

34 It looks down on proud people. It rules over all those who are proud."

1 Job replied to the Lord,

2 "I know that you can do anything. No one can keep you from doing what you plan to do.

3 You asked me, 'Who do you think you are to disagree with my plans? You do not know what you are talking about.' I spoke about things I didn't completely understand. I talked about things that were too wonderful for me to know.

4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak. I will ask you some questions. Then I want you to answer me.'

5 My ears had heard about you. But now my own eyes have seen you.

6 So I hate myself. I'm really sorry for what I said about you. That's why I'm sitting in dust and ashes."

7 After the LORD finished speaking to Job, he spoke to Eliphaz the Temanite. He said, "I am angry with you and your two friends. You have not said what is true about me, as my servant Job has.

8 "So now get seven bulls and seven rams. Go to my servant Job. Then sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you. And I will accept his prayer. I will not punish you for saying the foolish things you said. You have not said what is true about me, as my servant Job has."

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them to do. And the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him successful again. He gave him twice as much as he had before.

11 All of his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came to see him. They ate with him in his house. They showed their concern for him. They comforted him because of all of the troubles the LORD had brought on him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

12 The LORD blessed the last part of Job's life even more than the first part. He gave Job 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels. He gave him 1,000 pairs of oxen and 1,000 donkeys.

13 Job also had seven sons and three daughters.

14 He named the first daughter Jemimah. He named the second Keziah. And he named the third Keren-Happuch.

15 Job's daughters were more beautiful than any other women in the whole land. Their father gave them a share of property along with their brothers.

16 After all of that happened, Job lived for 140 years. He saw his children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren.

17 And so he died. He had lived for a very long time.