Respondens autem Dominus Job de turbine, dixit:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Et ego confitebor quod salvare te possit dextera tua.

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

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

Ecce behemoth quem feci tecum, fœnum quasi bos comedet.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Huic montes herbas ferunt: omnes bestiæ agri ludent ibi.

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

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

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

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

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

Protegunt umbræ umbram ejus: circumdabunt eum salices torrentis.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Numquid multiplicabit ad te preces, aut loquetur tibi mollia?

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

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

Numquid feriet tecum pactum, et accipies eum servum sempiternum?

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

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

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

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

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

Concident eum amici? divident illum negotiatores?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ecce spes ejus frustrabitur eum, et videntibus cunctis præcipitabitur.

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

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