Job 41
1 An extrahere poteris Leviathan hamo, et fune ligabis linguam ejus?
Is it possible for Leviathan to be pulled out with a fish-hook, or for a hook to be put through the bone of his mouth?
2 Numquid pones circulum in naribus ejus, aut armilla perforabis maxillam ejus?
Will you put a cord into his nose, or take him away with a cord round his tongue?
3 Numquid multiplicabit ad te preces, aut loquetur tibi mollia?
Will he make prayers to you, or say soft words to you?
4 Numquid feriet tecum pactum, et accipies eum servum sempiternum?
Will he make an agreement with you, so that you may take him as a servant for ever?
5 Numquid illudes ei quasi avi, aut ligabis eum ancillis tuis?
Will you make sport with him, as with a bird? or put him in chains for your young women?
6 Concident eum amici? divident illum negotiatores?
Will the fishermen make profit out of him? will they have him cut up for the traders?
7 Numquid implebis sagenas pelle ejus, et gurgustium piscium capite illius?
Will you put sharp-pointed irons into his skin, or fish-spears into his head?
8 Pone super eum manum tuam: memento belli, nec ultra addas loqui.
Only put your hand on him, and see what a fight you will have; you will not do it again!
9 Ecce spes ejus frustrabitur eum, et videntibus cunctis præcipitabitur.]
Truly, the hope of his attacker is false; he is overcome even on seeing him!
10 [Non quasi crudelis suscitabo eum: quis enim resistere potest vultui meo?
He is so cruel that no one is ready to go against him. Who then is able to keep his place before me?
11 Quis ante dedit mihi, ut reddam ei? omnia quæ sub cælo sunt, mea sunt.
Who ever went against me, and got the better of me? There is no one under heaven!
12 Non parcam ei, et verbis potentibus, et ad deprecandum compositis.
I will not keep quiet about the parts of his body, or about his power, and the strength of his frame.
13 Quis revelabit faciem indumenti ejus? et in medium oris ejus quis intrabit?
Who has ever taken off his outer skin? who may come inside his inner coat of iron?
14 Portas vultus ejus quis aperiet? per gyrum dentium ejus formido.
Who has made open the doors of his face? Fear is round about his teeth.
15 Corpus illius quasi scuta fusilia, compactum squamis se prementibus.
His back is made of lines of plates, joined tight together, one against the other, like a stamp.
16 Una uni conjungitur, et ne spiraculum quidem incedit per eas.
One is so near to the other that no air may come between them.
17 Una alteri adhærebit, et tenentes se nequaquam separabuntur.
They take a grip of one another; they are joined together, so that they may not be parted.
18 Sternutatio ejus splendor ignis, et oculi ejus ut palpebræ diluculi.
His sneezings give out flames, and his eyes are like the eyes of the dawn.
19 De ore ejus lampades procedunt, sicut tædæ ignis accensæ.
Out of his mouth go burning lights, and flames of fire are jumping up.
20 De naribus ejus procedit fumus, sicut ollæ succensæ atque ferventis.
Smoke comes out of his nose, like a pot boiling on the fire.
21 Halitus ejus prunas ardere facit, et flamma de ore ejus egreditur.
His breath puts fire to coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.
22 In collo ejus morabitur fortitudo, et faciem ejus præcedit egestas.
Strength is in his neck, and fear goes dancing before him.
23 Membra carnium ejus cohærentia sibi: mittet contra eum fulmina, et ad locum alium non ferentur.
The plates of his flesh are joined together, fixed, and not to be moved.
24 Cor ejus indurabitur tamquam lapis, et stringetur quasi malleatoris incus.
His heart is as strong as a stone, hard as the lower crushing-stone.
25 Cum sublatus fuerit, timebunt angeli, et territi purgabuntur.
When he gets ready for the fight, the strong are overcome with fear.
26 Cum apprehenderit eum gladius, subsistere non poterit, neque hasta, neque thorax:
The sword may come near him but is not able to go through him; the spear, or the arrow, or the sharp-pointed iron.
27 reputabit enim quasi paleas ferrum, et quasi lignum putridum æs.
Iron is to him as dry grass, and brass as soft wood.
28 Non fugabit eum vir sagittarius: in stipulam versi sunt ei lapides fundæ.
The arrow is not able to put him to flight: stones are no more to him than dry stems.
29 Quasi stipulam æstimabit malleum, et deridebit vibrantem hastam.
A thick stick is no better than a leaf of grass, and he makes sport of the onrush of the spear.
30 Sub ipso erunt radii solis, et sternet sibi aurum quasi lutum.
Under him are sharp edges of broken pots: as if he was pulling a grain-crushing instrument over the wet earth.
31 Fervescere faciet quasi ollam profundum mare, et ponet quasi cum unguenta bulliunt.
The deep is boiling like a pot of spices, and the sea like a perfume-vessel.
32 Post eum lucebit semita: æstimabit abyssum quasi senescentem.
After him his way is shining, so that the deep seems white.
33 Non est super terram potestas quæ comparetur ei, qui factus est ut nullum timeret.
On earth there is not another like him, who is made without fear.
34 Omne sublime videt: ipse est rex super universos filios superbiæ.]
Everything which is high goes in fear of him; he is king over all the sons of pride.
