Thursday, December 8, 2011

Job 40:6-41:34

6 ¶  Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm and said, 7  "Now gird up your loins like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me. 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 eminence and dignity, And clothe yourself with honor 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 where they stand. 13  "Hide them in the dust together; Bind them in the hidden place. 14  "Then I will also confess to you, That your own right hand can save you.
    15 ¶  "Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox. 16  "Behold now, his strength in his loins And his power in the muscles of his belly. 17  "He bends his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are knit together. 18  "His bones are tubes of bronze; His limbs are like bars of iron. 19  "He is the first of the ways of God; Let his maker bring near his sword. 20  "Surely the mountains bring him food, And all the beasts of the field play there. 21  "Under the lotus plants he lies down, In the covert of the reeds and the marsh. 22  "The lotus plants cover him with shade; The willows of the brook surround him. 23  "If a river rages, he is not alarmed; He is confident, though the Jordan rushes to his mouth. 24  "Can anyone capture him when he is on watch, With barbs can anyone pierce his nose?
    1 ¶  "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord? 2  "Can you put a rope in his nose Or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3  "Will he make many supplications to you, Or will he speak to you soft words? 4  "Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him for a servant forever? 5  "Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you bind him for your maidens? 6  "Will the traders bargain over him? Will they divide him among the merchants? 7  "Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? 8  "Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle; you will not do it again! 9  "Behold, your expectation is false; Will you be laid low even at the sight of him? 10  "No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him; Who then is he that can stand before Me?
    11 ¶  "Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine. 12  "I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Or his mighty strength, or his orderly frame. 13  "Who can strip off his outer armor? Who can come within his double mail? 14  "Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth there is terror. 15  "His strong scales are his pride, Shut up as with a tight seal. 16  "One is so near to another That no air can come between them. 17  "They are joined one to another; They clasp each other and cannot be separated. 18  "His sneezes flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19  "Out of his mouth go burning torches; Sparks of fire leap forth. 20  "Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21  "His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes forth from his mouth. 22  "In his neck lodges strength, And dismay leaps before him. 23  "The folds of his flesh are joined together, Firm on him and immovable. 24  "His heart is as hard as a stone, Even as hard as a lower millstone. 25  "When he raises himself up, the mighty fear; Because of the crashing they are bewildered. 26  "The sword that reaches him cannot avail, Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin. 27  "He regards iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood. 28  "The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones are turned into stubble for him. 29  "Clubs are regarded as stubble; He laughs at the rattling of the javelin. 30  "His underparts are like sharp potsherds; He spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mire. 31  "He makes the depths boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a jar of ointment. 32  "Behind him he makes a wake to shine; One would think the deep to be gray-haired. 33  "Nothing on earth is like him, One made without fear. 34  "He looks on everything that is high; He is king over all the sons of pride."  (NASB)

  6 ¶  Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: 7  “Brace yourself like a man,  because I have some questions for you,  and you must answer them. 8  “Will you discredit my justice  and condemn me just to prove you are right? 9  Are you as strong as God?  Can you thunder with a voice like his? 10  All right, put on your glory and splendor,  your honor and majesty. 11  Give vent to your anger.  Let it overflow against the proud. 12  Humiliate the proud with a glance;  walk on the wicked where they stand. 13  Bury them in the dust.  Imprison them in the world of the dead. 14  Then even I would praise you,  for your own strength would save you.
    15 ¶  “Take a look at Behemoth,  which I made, just as I made you.  It eats grass like an ox. 16  See its powerful loins  and the muscles of its belly. 17  Its tail is as strong as a cedar.  The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together. 18  Its bones are tubes of bronze.  Its limbs are bars of iron. 19  It is a prime example of God’s handiwork,  and only its Creator can threaten it. 20  The mountains offer it their best food,  where all the wild animals play. 21  It lies under the lotus plants,  hidden by the reeds in the marsh. 22  The lotus plants give it shade  among the willows beside the stream. 23  It is not disturbed by the raging river,  not concerned when the swelling Jordan rushes around it. 24  No one can catch it off guard  or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.
    1 ¶  “Can you catch Leviathan with a hook  or put a noose around its jaw? 2  Can you tie it with a rope through the nose  or pierce its jaw with a spike? 3  Will it beg you for mercy  or implore you for pity? 4  Will it agree to work for you,  to be your slave for life? 5  Can you make it a pet like a bird,  or give it to your little girls to play with? 6  Will merchants try to buy it  to sell it in their shops? 7  Will its hide be hurt by spears  or its head by a harpoon? 8  If you lay a hand on it,  you will certainly remember the battle that follows.  You won’t try that again! 9  No, it is useless to try to capture it.  The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down. 10  And since no one dares to disturb it,  who then can stand up to me?
    11 ¶  Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?  Everything under heaven is mine. 12  “I want to emphasize Leviathan’s limbs  and its enormous strength and graceful form. 13  Who can strip off its hide,  and who can penetrate its double layer of armor? 14  Who could pry open its jaws?  For its teeth are terrible! 15  Its scales are like rows of shields  tightly sealed together. 16  They are so close together  that no air can get between them. 17  Each scale sticks tight to the next.  They interlock and cannot be penetrated. 18  “When it sneezes, it flashes light!  Its eyes are like the red of dawn. 19  Lightning leaps from its mouth;  flames of fire flash out. 20  Smoke streams from its nostrils  like steam from a pot heated over burning rushes. 21  Its breath would kindle coals,  for flames shoot from its mouth. 22  “The tremendous strength in Leviathan’s neck  strikes terror wherever it goes. 23  Its flesh is hard and firm  and cannot be penetrated. 24  Its heart is hard as rock,  hard as a millstone. 25  When it rises, the mighty are afraid,  gripped by terror. 26  No sword can stop it,  no spear, dart, or javelin. 27  Iron is nothing but straw to that creature,  and bronze is like rotten wood. 28  Arrows cannot make it flee.  Stones shot from a sling are like bits of grass. 29  Clubs are like a blade of grass,  and it laughs at the swish of javelins. 30  Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass.  It plows up the ground as it drags through the mud. 31  “Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion.  It stirs the depths like a pot of ointment. 32  The water glistens in its wake,  making the sea look white. 33  Nothing on earth is its equal,  no other creature so fearless. 34  Of all the creatures, it is the proudest.  It is the king of beasts.’’   (NLT)

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