Job 40

Job Places His Hand over His Mouth

1 Then Yahweh answered Job and said,

2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who reproves God answer it.”
3 Then Job answered Yahweh and said,

4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I respond to You?
I place my hand over my mouth.
5 “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”

Yahweh Will Ask Job

6 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the ^{▼▼Or storm}whirlwind and said,

7 “Now gird up your loins like a man;
I will ask you, and you make Me know.
8 “Will you really annul My judgment?
Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
9 “Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you thunder with a voice like His?
10 “Adorn yourself with exaltation and loftiness,
And clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
11 “Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low.
12 “Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him,
And tread down the wicked ^{▼▼Lit under them}in their place.
13 “Hide them in the dust together;
Bind their faces in the hidden place.
14 “Then I will also praise you,
That your own right hand can save you.

Behold the Behemoth

15 “Behold now, ^{▼▼Possibly the hippopotamus}Behemoth, which I made along with you;
It eats grass like an ox.
16 “Behold now, its power in its loins
And its vigor in the muscles of its belly.
17 “It hangs its tail like a cedar;
The sinews of its thighs are knit together.
18 “Its bones are tubes of bronze;
Its ^{▼▼Lit bones}limbs are like bars of iron.
19 “It is the first of the ways of God;
Let its Maker bring near its sword.
20 “Surely the mountains bring it food,
And all the beasts of the field play there.
21 “Under the lotus plants it lies down,
In the hidden place of the reeds and the marsh.
22 “The lotus plants cover it with ^{▼▼Lit his shade}shade;
The willows of the brook surround it.
23 “If a river oppresses, it is not alarmed;
It is secure, though the Jordan bursts forth to its mouth.
24 “Can anyone capture it before its eyes,
With snares can anyone pierce its nose?