וַיַּעַן ה' אֶת־אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַר׃

After it has been called to Job’s attention that he is only one of God’s many creatures, and that despite his highly developed consciousness he is incapable of running the world, he no longer voices his complaints, but prefers to remain silent. The Lord answered Job and said:

הֲרֹב עִם־שַׁדַּי יִסּוֹר מוֹכִיחַ אֱלוֹהַּ יַעֲנֶנָּה

Should one who quarrels with the Almighty be chastised? Is he likely to accept reproof? Alternatively, does one who contends with God act in a moral manner? Let one who rebukes God please respond to it, God’s reproof. You are invited to try to respond to Me.

וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב אֶת־ה' וַיֹּאמַר׃

Job answered the Lord and said:

הֵן קַלֹּתִי מָה אֲשִׁיבֶךָּ יָדִי שַׂמְתִּי לְמוֹ פִי

I am insignificant in my own eyes; what will I answer You? I have no response. I place my hand to my mouth as a mark of silence.

אַחַת דִּבַּרְתִּי וְלֹא אֶעֱנֶה וּשְׁתַּיִם וְלֹא אוֹסִיף

I have spoken once, but I will not respond; twice, but I will not continue. I have indeed spoken too much.

וַיַּעַן־ה' אֶת־אִיּוֹב מִן סְעָרָה וַיֹּאמַר׃

The Lord answered Job from the tempest and said:

אֱזָר־נָא כְגֶבֶר חֲלָצֶיךָ אֶשְׁאָלְךָ וְהוֹדִיעֵנִי

Gird now your loins like a man, prepare yourself, for I will ask you; I will show you other natural phenomena, and you will inform Me, respond to Me.

הַאַף תָּפֵר מִשְׁפָּטִי תַּרְשִׁיעֵנִי לְמַעַן תִּצְדָּק

Will you even disavow My justice, by claiming that My judgment is unfair? Will you condemn Me by claiming that I am wicked so that you may be vindicated?

וְאִם־זְרוֹעַ כּאֵל לָךְ וּבְקוֹל כָּמֹהוּ תַרְעֵם

Do you have an arm, strength, like God? If you are wiser and more righteous than I, perhaps you are also as strong as I. Can you thunder with a voice like Him?

עֲדֵה נָא גָאוֹן וָגֹבַהּ וְהוֹד וְהָדָר תִּלְבָּשׁ

Adorn yourself now with grandeur and eminence, and don glory and majesty like Me.

הָפֵץ עַבְרוֹת אַפֶּךָ וּרְאֵה כָל־גֵּאֶה וְהַשְׁפִּילֵהוּ

Scatter your irate wrath, and see every proud one, and abase him.

רְאֵה כָל־גֵּאֶה הַכְנִיעֵהוּ וַהֲדֹךְ רְשָׁעִים תַּחְתָּם

See every proud one and subdue him, and crush the wicked in their place.

טָמְנֵם בֶּעָפָר יָחַד פְּנֵיהֶם חֲבֹשׁ בַּטָּמוּן

Hide them in the dust together; cover their faces in concealment,

וְגַם־אֲנִי אוֹדֶךָּ כִּי תוֹשִׁעַ לְךָ יְמִינֶךָ

and I also will concede to you if your right hand can save you. If you can do with your strength that which I am able to do, I will concede your righteousness. God scorns Job’s efforts to confront Him, as though there is any comparison between him and his Creator. In effect, He is saying to Job: If you run the world better than I do, then I will confess that you are correct and I will praise you.

הִנֵּה־נָא בְהֵמוֹת אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂיתִי עִמָּךְ חָצִיר כַּבָּקָר יֹאכֵל

If you cannot control humans that are arrogant, go and seek other creatures: Behold now the behemoth, the name of a large animal, which I made with you, which shares the world with you; it eats hay like cattle. This creature is herbivorous.

הִנֵּה־נָא כֹחוֹ בְמָתְנָיו וְאוֹנוֹ בִּשְׁרִירֵי בִטְנוֹ

Behold now, its strength is in its loins, and its potency is in the muscles of its belly.

יַחְפֹּץ זְנָבוֹ כְמוֹ־אָרֶז גִּידֵי פַחֲדָו יְשֹׂרָגוּ

It shakes its tail quickly, like a cedar. Its massive tail looks like a cedar tree swaying in the wind. The veins of its testicles are knit together, like the boughs of a tree.

עֲצָמָיו אֲפִיקֵי נְחֻשָׁה גְּרָמָיו כִּמְטִיל בַּרְזֶל

Its bones are like chunks of bronze; its bones are like an iron bar.

הוּא רֵאשִׁית דַרְכֵי אֵל הָעֹשׂוֹ יַגֵּשׁ חַרְבּוֹ

It is the first of the ways of God, the most important of God’s creatures, or the first animal created by God. This animal is invulnerable to any attack from hunters or beasts of prey; only its Maker may present His sword to kill it.

כִּי בוּל הָרִים יִשְׂאוּ לוֹ וְכָל־חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה יְשַׂחֲקוּ־שָׁם

For produce of mountains will be carried to it, they will bring it food produced by the mountains, and all the beasts of the field play there, where it lies down. The behemoth does not prey upon nor harm any other animal.

תַּחַת־צֶאֱלִים יִשְׁכָּב בְּסֵתֶר קָנֶה וּבִצָּה

It lies beneath the lotuses [tze’elim] in the cover of reed and swamp. Alternatively, tze’elim is a general name for trees that provide shade [tzel], or it refers to shadows [tzelalim].

יְסֻכֻּהוּ צֶאֱלִים צִלְלוֹ יְסֻבּוּהוּ עַרְבֵי־נָחַל

The lotuses cover it with their shade; the willows of the brook surround it.

הֵן יַעֲשֹׁק נָהָר וְלֹא יַחְפּוֹז יִבְטַח כִּי יָגִיחַ יַרְדֵּן אֶל־פִּיהוּ

Behold, this beast is so large that it can swallow a river; it need not rush. It has the strength to swallow a river, and it will not rush due to any fear, as it is not afraid of any other creature. It is secure, even if it draws the Jordan into its mouth, even if the behemoth were to attempt to suck in the river.

בְּעֵינָיו יִקָּחֶנּוּ בְּמוֹקְשִׁים יִנְקָב אָף

Before its eyes it takes it; it will pierce its nose with snags. In its desire to swallow the entire Jordan, the behemoth will lower its face and appear to ingest it through its eyes, and thereby pierce its own nose on the rocks that can be found on the riverbed.

תִּמְשֹׁךְ לִוְיָתָן בְּחַכָּה וּבְ חֶבֶל תַּשְׁקִיעַ לְשֹׁנוֹ

From the behemoth, the most massive land animal, God moves on to a description of the leviathan, the largest creature in the sea: Can you pull up a leviathan with a hook or grip its tongue with a cord, catch it using a rod inserted in its tongue?

הֲתָשִׂים אַגְמֹן בְּאַפּוֹ וּבְחוֹחַ תִּקֹּב לֶחֱיוֹ

Can you put a bent hook into its nose or pierce its cheek with a barb in order to trap it?

היַרְבֶּה אֵלֶיךָ תַּחֲנוּנִים אִם יְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ רַכּוֹת

If you did try to catch the enormous leviathan, will you expect it to make many supplications to you or will it speak softly to you, entreating you not to carry out your plan?

הֲיִכְרֹת בְּרִית עִמָּךְ תִּקָּחֶנּוּ לְעֶבֶד עוֹלָם

Will it establish a covenant with you in order to escape the threat you pose? Will it agree that you may take it as an eternal slave?

הַתְשַׂחֶק־בּוֹ כּצִּפּוֹר וְתִקְשְׁרֶנּוּ לְנַעֲרוֹתֶיךָ

Will you play with it like one plays with a bird, or will you bind it for your girls, as a toy for your children?

יִכְרוּ עָלָיו חַבָּרִים יֶחֱצוּהוּ בֵּין כְּנַעֲנִים

Will enchanters, or wise men and sorcerers, or bands of merchants, make a banquet of it? Will they divide it, divide up its flesh, among merchants?

הַתְמַלֵּא בְשֻׂכּוֹת עוֹרוֹ וּבְצִלְצַל דָּגִים רֹאשׁוֹ

Can you fill its skin with darts, or thorns, in order to capture the leviathan or pierce its head with fish spears, sharp implements for catching fish?

שִׂים־עָלָיו כַּפֶּיךָ זְכֹר מִלְחָמָה אַל־תּוֹסַף

If you have already tried to lay your hand upon it in an attempt to capture the huge creature, remember war and act no more. The memory of the struggle will prevent you from having any further desire to do so, as your provocation of the leviathan would certainly have been a traumatic experience for you.