The Holy Bible – Knox Translation
The Book of Job
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Chapter 40
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And once more, from the midst of a whirlwind, the Lord gave Job his answer:
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Strip, then, and enter the lists; it is my turn to ask questions, thine to impart knowledge.
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My awards thou wouldst fain reverse; wouldst prove me unjust, to prove thyself innocent;
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why then, let us see thee shew strength like the strength of God, let us hear thee thunder as God thunders.
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Come, deck thyself with glory, up with thee to the heights; shew all thy splendours, robe thyself in dazzling array!
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Scatter the proud in that indignation of thine, with thy frown abase the tyrant;
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here is an oppressor for thee to thwart; here is one that defies thee, crush him!
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Bury them in the dust, one and all, hide them from sight, deep in the abyss;
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then I will acknowledge thee for one whose own strength can bring him victory.
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Here is Behemoth,✻ my creature as thou art, fed on the same grass the oxen eat;
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yet what strength in his loins, what lustihood in the navel of his belly!
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Stiff as cedar-wood his tail, close-knit the sinews of his groin,
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bones like pipes of bronze, gristle like plates of steel!
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None of God’s works can vie with him, the maker of such a beast has his sword ready for use;✻
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whole mountain-sides, the playground of his fellow beasts, he will lay under tribute,✻
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as he lies there under the close covert of the marsh-reeds,
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thick boughs for his shadow, among the willows by the stream.
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The flooded river he drinks unconcerned; Jordan itself would have no terrors for that gaping mouth.
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Like a lure it would charm his eye, though it should pierce his nostrils with sharp stakes.✻
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Or Leviathan, wilt thou find a hook that will draw him to land, a line that will hold his tongue fast?
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Canst thou ring him, or pierce his jaw with a clasp?
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Will he importune thee with entreaties, or cajole thee with blandishments,
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till thou makest a covenant that binds him to be thy servant for ever?
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Wilt thou make a plaything of him, as if he were a tame bird, chain him up to make sport for thy maid-servants?
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Is he to be divided up among fellow fishermen, sold piece-meal to the merchants?
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Is that skin a spoil for the net, that head for the fishermen’s cabins?
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Do but try conclusions with him, and see if the memory of the combat does not keep thee dumb!
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Fond hope, that must be dashed to the ground for all to see it!
