Job 41
The passage describes the leviathan, a powerful sea creature, as a fearsome and uncontainable being that cannot be tamed or controlled by humans. Its body is covered in impenetrable scales, and its strength is unmatched, with the ability to cause destruction and inspire fear in all who see it. The passage emphasizes the leviathan's dominance over all other creatures, with no power on earth comparable to its own, and it is described as the king over all the sons of arrogance.
Can you draw out the leviathan with a hook, and can you bind his tongue with a cordCan you place a ring in his nose, or bore through his jaw with an arm bandWill he offer many prayers to you, or speak to you quietlyWill he form a covenant with you, and will you accept him as a servant foreverWill you play with him as with a bird, or tether him for your handmaidsWill your friends cut him into pieces, will dealers distribute himWill you fill up bags with his hide, and let his head be used as a home for fishesPlace your hand upon him; remember the battle and speak no moreBehold, his hope will fail him, and in the sight of all, he will be thrown downI will not rouse him, as the cruel would do, for who is able to withstand my countenanceWho has given to me beforehand, so that I should repay him? All things that are under heaven are mineI will not spare him, nor his powerful words and counterfeit attempts at supplicationWho can reveal the beauty of his garment? And who can enter the middle of his mouthWho can open the doors of his face? I gave fear to the circle of his teethHis body is like shields fused together, like dense scales pressed over one anotherOne is joined to another, and not even air can pass between themThey adhere to one another, and they hold themselves in place and will not be separatedHis sneezing has the brilliance of fire, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morningLamps proceed from his mouth, like torches of fire burning brightlySmoke passes out of his nostrils, like a pot that is heated and boilingHis breath causes coal to burn, and a flame comes forth from his mouthStrength dwells in his neck, and destitution goes before his presenceThe parts of his body work in harmony together. He will send lightning bolts against him, and they will not be carried to another placeHis heart will be as hard as a stone and as dense as a blacksmith’s anvilWhen he will be raised up, the angels will be afraid, and, because they are terrified, they will purify themselvesWhen a sword catches up with him, it will not be able to settle in, nor a spear, nor a breastplateFor he will consider iron as if it were chaff, and brass as if it were rotten woodThe archer will not cause him to flee; the stones of the sling have been turned into stubble for himHe will treat the hammer as if it were stubble, and he will ridicule those who brandish the spearThe beams of the sun will be under him, and he will dispense gold to them as if it were clayHe will make the depths of the sea boil like a pot, and he will set it to bubble just as ointments doA path will shine after him; he will esteem the abyss as if it were weakening with ageThere is no power on the earth that is being compared to him, who has been made so that he fears no oneHe sees every prominent thing; he is king over all the sons of arrogance
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