Job 41:1-34 ERV

[1] "Can you catch Leviathan with a fishhook? Can you tie his tongue with a rope? [2] Can you put a rope through his nose or a hook through his jaw? [3] Will he beg you to let him go free? Will he speak to you with gentle words? [4] Will he make an agreement with you and promise to serve you forever? [5] Will you play with Leviathan as you would play with a bird? Will you put a rope on him so that your girls can play with him? [6] Will fishermen try to buy him from you? Will they cut him into pieces and sell him to the merchants? [7] Can you throw spears into his skin or head? [8] "If you ever lay a hand on Leviathan, you will never do it again! Just think about the battle that would be! [9] Do you think you can defeat him? Well, forget it! There is no hope. Just looking at him will scare you! [10] No one is brave enough to wake him up and make him angry. "Well, no one can challenge me either! [11] I owe nothing to anyone. Everything under heaven belongs to me. [12] "I will tell you about Leviathan's legs, his strength, and his graceful shape. [13] No one can pierce his skin. It is like armor! [14] No one can force him to open his jaws. The teeth in his mouth scare people. [15] His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together. [16] They are so close to each other that no air can pass between them. [17] The shields are joined to each other. They hold together so tightly that they cannot be pulled apart. [18] When Leviathan sneezes, it is like lightning flashing out. His eyes shine like the light of dawn. [19] Burning torches come from his mouth. Sparks of fire shoot out. [20] Smoke pours from his nose like burning weeds under a boiling pot. [21] His breath sets coals on fire, and flames shoot from his mouth. [22] His neck is very powerful. People are afraid and run away from him. [23] There is no soft spot in his skin. It is as hard as iron. [24] His heart is like a rock; he has no fear. It is as hard as a millstone. [25] When he gets up, even the strongest people are afraid. They run away when he swings his tail. [26] Swords, spears, and darts only bounce off when they hit him. These weapons don't hurt him at all! [27] He breaks iron as easily as straw. He breaks bronze like rotten wood. [28] Arrows don't make him run away. Rocks thrown at him seem as light as chaff. [29] When a wood club hits him, it feels to him like a piece of straw. He laughs when anyone throws a spear at him. [30] The skin on his belly is like sharp pieces of broken pottery. He leaves tracks in the mud like a threshing board. [31] He stirs up the water like a boiling pot. He makes it bubble like a pot of boiling oil. [32] When he swims, he leaves a sparkling path behind him. He stirs up the water and makes it white with foam. [33] No animal on earth is like him. He is an animal made without fear. [34] He looks down on the proudest of creatures. He is king over all the wild animals."