[1] Then the LORD said to Job, [2] “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who disputes with God answer it.” [3] Then Job replied to the LORD and said, [4] “Behold, I am of little importance and contemptible; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. [5] I have spoken once, but I will not reply again—Indeed, twice [I have answered], and I will add nothing further.” [6] Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, saying, [7] “Now gird up your loins (prepare yourself) like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me. [8] Will you really annul My judgment and set it aside as void? Will you condemn Me [your God] that you may [appear to] be righteous and justified? [9] Have you an arm like God, And can you thunder with a voice like His? [10] “Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity [since you question the Almighty], And array yourself with honor and majesty. [11] Pour out the overflowings of your wrath, And look at everyone who is proud and make him low. [12] Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him, And [if you are so able] tread down the wicked where they stand. [13] [Crush and] hide them in the dust together; Shut them up in the hidden place [the house of death]. [14] [If you can do all this, Job, proving your divine power] then I [God] will also praise you and acknowledge That your own right hand can save you. [15] “Behold now, Behemoth, which I created as well as you; He eats grass like an ox. [16] See now, his strength is in his loins And his power is in the muscles and sinews of his belly. [17] He sways his tail like a cedar; The tendons of his thighs are twisted and knit together [like a rope]. [18] His bones are tubes of bronze; His limbs are like bars of iron. [19] “He is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God; [Only] He who made him can bring near His sword [to master him]. [20] Surely the mountains bring him food, And all the wild animals play there. [21] He lies down under the lotus plants, In the hidden shelter of the reeds in the marsh. [22] The lotus plants cover him with their shade; The willows of the brook surround him. [23] If a river rages and overflows, he does not tremble; He is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth. [24] Can anyone capture him when he is on watch, Or pierce his nose with barbs [to trap him]?
