Job 40

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 But the Lord, answering Job out of the whirlwind, said:	1 And the LORD said to Job:
2 Gird your waist like a man. I will question you, and you must answer me.	2 "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it."
3 Will you make my judgment null and void; and will you condemn me so that you may be justified?	3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4 And do you have an arm like God, or a voice like thunder?	4 "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 Envelop yourself with splendor, and raise yourself up on high, and be glorious, and put on splendid garments.	5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further."
6 Scatter the arrogant with your wrath, and, when you see all the arrogant, humble them.	6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
7 Look down upon each of the arrogant and confound them, and crush the impious in their place.	7 "Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you declare to me.
8 Hide them in the dust together and plunge their faces into the pit.	8 Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be justified?
9 Then I will confess that your right hand is able to save you.	9 Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Behold, the behemoth, whom I created along with you, eats hay like an ox.	10 "Deck yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11 His strength is in his lower back, and his power is in the center of his abdomen.	11 Pour forth the overflowings of your anger, and look on every one that is proud, and abase him.
12 He draws up his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs have been drawn together.	12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 His bones are like pipes of brass; his cartilage is like plates of iron.	13 Hide them all in the dust together; bind their faces in the world below.
14 He is the beginning of the ways of God, who made him; he will use him as his sword.	14 Then will I also acknowledge to you, that your own right hand can give you victory.
15 The mountains bring forth grass for him; all the beasts of the field will play there.	15 "Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.
16 He sleeps in the shadows, under the cover of branches, and in moist places.	16 Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 The shadows cover his shadow; the willows of the brook will encircle him.	17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 Behold, he will drink a river and not be amazed, and he has confidence that the Jordan could flow into his mouth.	18 His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron.
19 He will seize him through his eyes, as if with a hook, and he will bore through his nostrils, as if with stakes.	19 "He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword!
20 Can you draw out the leviathan with a hook, and can you bind his tongue with a cord?	20 For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play.
21 Can you place a ring in his nose, or bore through his jaw with an arm band?	21 Under the lotus plants he lies, in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh.
22 Will he offer many prayers to you, or speak to you quietly?	22 For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him.
23 Will he form a covenant with you, and will you accept him as a servant forever?	23 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24 Will you play with him as with a bird, or tether him for your handmaids?	24 Can one take him with hooks, or pierce his nose with a snare?
25 Will your friends cut him into pieces, will dealers distribute him?
26 Will you fill up bags with his hide, and let his head be used as a home for fishes?
27 Place your hand upon him; remember the battle and speak no more.
28 Behold, his hope will fail him, and in the sight of all, he will be thrown down.