And once more, from the midst of a whirlwind, the Lord gave Job his answer:

Respondens autem Dominus Job de turbine, dixit:

And the Lord answering Job out of the whirlwind, said:

Strip, then, and enter the lists; it is my turn to ask questions, thine to impart knowledge.

Accinge sicut vir lumbos tuos: interrogabo te, et indica mihi.

Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and do thou tell me.

My awards thou wouldst fain reverse; wouldst prove me unjust, to prove thyself innocent;

Numquid irritum facies judicium meum, et condemnabis me, ut tu justificeris?

Wilt thou make void my judgment: and condemn me, that thou mayst be justified?

why then, let us see thee shew strength like the strength of God, let us hear thee thunder as God thunders.

Et si habes brachium sicut Deus? et si voce simili tonas?

And hast thou an arm like God, and canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

Come, deck thyself with glory, up with thee to the heights; shew all thy splendours, robe thyself in dazzling array!

Circumda tibi decorem, et in sublime erigere, et esto gloriosus, et speciosis induere vestibus.

Clothe thyself with beauty, and set thyself up on high, and be glorious, and put on goodly garments.

Scatter the proud in that indignation of thine, with thy frown abase the tyrant;

Disperge superbos in furore tuo, et respiciens omnem arrogantem humilia.

Scatter the proud in thy indignation, and behold every arrogant man, and humble him.

here is an oppressor for thee to thwart; here is one that defies thee, crush him!

Respice cunctos superbos, et confunde eos, et contere impios in loco suo.

Look on all that are proud, and confound them, and crush the wicked in their place.

Bury them in the dust, one and all, hide them from sight, deep in the abyss;

Absconde eos in pulvere simul, et facies eorum demerge in foveam.

Hide them in the dust together, and plunge their faces into the pit.

then I will acknowledge thee for one whose own strength can bring him victory.

Et ego confitebor quod salvare te possit dextera tua.

Then I will confess that thy right hand is able to save thee.

Here is Behemoth, my creature as thou art, fed on the same grass the oxen eat;

Ecce behemoth quem feci tecum, fœnum quasi bos comedet.

Behold behemoth whom I made with thee, he eateth grass like an ox.

yet what strength in his loins, what lustihood in the navel of his belly!

Fortitudo ejus in lumbis ejus, et virtus illius in umbilico ventris ejus.

His strength is in his loins, and his force in the navel of his belly.

Stiff as cedar-wood his tail, close-knit the sinews of his groin,

Stringit caudam suam quasi cedrum; nervi testiculorum ejus perplexi sunt.

He setteth up his tail like a cedar, the sinews of his testicles are wrapped together.

bones like pipes of bronze, gristle like plates of steel!

Ossa ejus velut fistulæ æris; cartilago illius quasi laminæ ferreæ.

His bones are like pipes of brass, his gristle like plates of iron.

None of God’s works can vie with him, the maker of such a beast has his sword ready for use;

Ipse est principium viarum Dei: qui fecit eum applicabit gladium ejus.

He is the beginning of the ways of God, who made him, he will apply his sword.

whole mountain-sides, the playground of his fellow beasts, he will lay under tribute,

Huic montes herbas ferunt: omnes bestiæ agri ludent ibi.

To him the mountains bring forth grass: there all the beasts of the field shall play.

as he lies there under the close covert of the marsh-reeds,

Sub umbra dormit in secreto calami, et in locis humentibus.

He sleepeth under the shadow, in the covert of the reed, and in moist places.

thick boughs for his shadow, among the willows by the stream.

Protegunt umbræ umbram ejus: circumdabunt eum salices torrentis.

The shades cover his shadow, the willows of the brook shall compass him about.

The flooded river he drinks unconcerned; Jordan itself would have no terrors for that gaping mouth.

Ecce absorbebit fluvium, et non mirabitur, et habet fiduciam quod influat Jordanis in os ejus.

Behold, he will drink up a river, and not wonder: and he trusteth that the Jordan may run into his mouth.

Like a lure it would charm his eye, though it should pierce his nostrils with sharp stakes.

In oculis ejus quasi hamo capiet eum, et in sudibus perforabit nares ejus.

In his eyes as with a hook he shall take him, and bore through his nostrils with stakes.

Or Leviathan, wilt thou find a hook that will draw him to land, a line that will hold his tongue fast?

An extrahere poteris Leviathan hamo, et fune ligabis linguam ejus?

Canst thou draw out the leviathan with a hook, or canst thou tie his tongue with a cord?

Canst thou ring him, or pierce his jaw with a clasp?

Numquid pones circulum in naribus ejus, aut armilla perforabis maxillam ejus?

Canst thou put a ring in his nose, or bore through his jaw with a buckle?

Will he importune thee with entreaties, or cajole thee with blandishments,

Numquid multiplicabit ad te preces, aut loquetur tibi mollia?

Will he make many supplications to thee, or speak soft words to thee?

till thou makest a covenant that binds him to be thy servant for ever?

Numquid feriet tecum pactum, et accipies eum servum sempiternum?

Will he make a covenant with thee, and wilt thou take him to be a servant for ever.

Wilt thou make a plaything of him, as if he were a tame bird, chain him up to make sport for thy maid-servants?

Numquid illudes ei quasi avi, aut ligabis eum ancillis tuis?

Shalt thou play with him as with a bird, or tie him up for thy handmaids?

Is he to be divided up among fellow fishermen, sold piece-meal to the merchants?

Concident eum amici? divident illum negotiatores?

Shall friends cut him in pieces, shall merchants divide him?

Is that skin a spoil for the net, that head for the fishermen’s cabins?

Numquid implebis sagenas pelle ejus, et gurgustium piscium capite illius?

Wilt thou fill nets with his skin, and the cabins of fishes with his head?

Do but try conclusions with him, and see if the memory of the combat does not keep thee dumb!

Pone super eum manum tuam: memento belli, nec ultra addas loqui.

Lay thy hand upon him: remember the battle, and speak no more.

Fond hope, that must be dashed to the ground for all to see it!

Ecce spes ejus frustrabitur eum, et videntibus cunctis præcipitabitur.

Behold his hope shall fail him, and in the sight of all he shall be cast down.