הֵן־תֹּחַלְתּוֹ נִכְזָבָה הֲגַם אֶל־מַרְאָיו יֻטָל

Behold, hope for it, for capturing the leviathan, is futile; isn’t one cast down in fright even at the sight of it?

לֹא אַכְזָר כִּי יְעוּרֶנּוּ וּמִי הוּא לְפָנַי יִתְיַצָּב

No one is so fierce as to rouse it from its rest; who is it who can stand before Me? God invites anyone who imagines that he can defeat the leviathan to engage Him, so to speak.

מִי הִקְדִּימַנִי וַאֲשַׁלֵּם תַּחַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמַיִם לִי־הוּא

Who surpasses Me? I will pay. If there is one who is more successful than Me in this confrontation, I will pay him the sum of this wager. I can pay him, as everything beneath the heavens is Mine.

לוֹ אַחֲרִישׁ בַּדָּיו וּדְבַר־גְּבוּרוֹת וְחִין עֶרְכּוֹ

If there were such a cruel and mighty individual, I would not be silent about his exploits, his mighty actions, and about speaking of his feats, and the elegance of his shapeliness, the grace of his limbs. Some explain this verse as a rhetorical question rather than a statement.

מִי־גִלָּה פְּנֵי לְבוּשׁוֹ בְּכֶפֶל רִסְנוֹ מִי יָבוֹא

God returns to the description of the leviathan: Who can reveal that which is under the front of its garment, what is hidden within its mantle of scales? Who can approach its double bridle, the spot between its jaws, where a bridle might be placed? No one would dare venture near there.

דַּלְתֵי פָנָיו מִי פִתֵּחַ סְבִיבוֹת שִׁנָּיו אֵימָה

Who can open the doors of its face, its mouth? Around its teeth there is terror. Its teeth threaten all those in its vicinity.

גַּאֲוָה אֲפִיקֵי מָגִנִּים סָגוּר חוֹתָם צָר

Rows of scales, the ridges of its scales, are its pride, so that its flesh is closed beneath them, as with a tight seal.

אֶחָד בְּאֶחָד יִגַּשׁוּ וְרוּחַ לֹא־יָבֹא בֵינֵיהֶם

One meets another, the scales touch each other, so that no space comes between them.

אִישׁ־בְּאָחִיהוּ יְדֻבָּקוּ יִתְלַכְּדוּ וְלֹא יִתְפָּרָדוּ

Each is stuck to the other; they are interlocked into a single sheet of armor and cannot be separated.

עֲטִישֹׁתָיו תָּהֶל אוֹר וְעֵינָיו כְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָׁחַר

Its sneezes flash light. When the leviathan sneezes, it appears as though it is emitting lightning, and its eyes are like the eyes of dawn. Its eyes glow like the reddening of the skies before sunrise.

מִפִּיו לַפִּידִים יַהֲלֹכוּ כִּידוֹדֵי אֵשׁ יִתְמַלָּטוּ

Torches proceed from its mouth, and even sparks of fire escape from it.

מִנְּחִירָיו יֵצֵא עָשָׁן דוּד נָפוּחַ וְאַגְמֹן

Smoke emerges from its nostrils, like steam that rises from a boiling vat or bubbling cauldron.

נַפְשׁוֹ גֶּחָלִים תְּלַהֵט וְלַהַב מִפִּיו יֵצֵא

Its breath ignites like coals, and flame emerges from its mouth.

בְּצַוָּארוֹ יָלִין עֹז וּלְפָנָיו תָּדוּץ דְּאָבָה

Great might rests in its neck, and even anguish, worry and pain, rejoices before it. It has no concerns or sadness. Alternatively, since it devours and ruins everything, it sows terror upon its surroundings, and therefore only the attributes of worry and distress feel at ease before it.

מַפְּלֵי בְשָׂרוֹ דָבֵקוּ יָצוּק עָלָיו בַּל־יִמּוֹט

The layers of its flesh are joined, cast upon it, will not collapse. Its body is solid, consolidated, and tightly compressed.

לִבּוֹ יָצוּק כְּמוֹ־אָבֶן וְיָצוּק כְּפֶלַח תַּחְתִּית

Its heart is cast like a stone. It does not get nervous or scared but rather is cast like a lower millstone. Unlike an upper millstone, a lower millstone does not revolve.

מִשֵּׂתוֹ יָגוּרוּ אֵלִים מִשְּׁבָרִים יִתְחַטָּאוּ

From its rearing up, the mighty fear. The mighty are terrified of it, and breakers are damaged. When faced with the leviathan, even the waves are left damaged.

מַשִּׂיגֵהוּ חֶרֶב בְּלִי תָקוּם חֲנִית מַסָּע וְשִׁרְיָה

One who reaches it with a sword will not recover. Alternatively, the one who attacks it with a sword will be unable to maintain a stance against it. The sword will not succeed against this creature, or even if one attacks with a spear, a larger weapon, and armor, he will have no chance against the leviathan.

יַחְשֹׁב לְתֶבֶן בַּרְזֶל לְעֵץ רִקָּבוֹן נְחוּשָׁה

If one attempts to harm the leviathan with iron weapons, it considers iron to be like straw, as the iron will slip off it as though the metal were as soft as straw, and bronze is treated by the leviathan, due to the creature’s hard, strong scales, like rotten wood.

לֹא־יַבְרִיחֶנּוּ בֶן־קָשֶׁת לְקַשׁ נֶהְפְּכוּ־לוֹ אַבְנֵי־קָלַע

The arrow does not cause it to flee; slingshots flung at it are transformed for it into straw. They are nothing more than stubble to the leviathan.

כְּקַשׁ נֶחְשְׁבוּ תוֹתָח וְיִשְׂחַק לְרַעַשׁ כִּידוֹן

The attacks of weapons seem like straw to it; it scoffs at the sound of a javelin. Implements of destruction have no effect on the leviathan.

תַּחְתָּיו חַדּוּדֵי חָרֶשׂ יִרְפַּד חָרוּץ עֲלֵי־טִיט

Jagged shards are placed under it, in the place where it lies, and yet they do not bother the creature at all. If it is cushioned on a spiked threshing sledge, it can rest upon it as though it were lying on mud. It is resistant to all sharp objects.

יַרְתִּיחַ כַּסִּיר מְצוּלָה יָם יָשִׂים כַּמֶּרְקָחָה

It causes the depths of the sea to boil like a pot, renders the sea like a concoction of spices. The movement of this mammoth creature stirs everything in its surroundings, creating turmoil in the water.

אַחֲרָיו יָאִיר נָתִיב יַחְשֹׁב תְּהוֹם לְשֵׂיבָה

Following it, a path is illuminated. Its quick movement leaves behind a trace in the water, like after the passage of a boat. It causes the deep to seem white-haired like an old man, as the creature leaves white foam in its wake.

אֵין־עַל־עָפָר מָשְׁלוֹ הֶעָשׂוּ לִבְלִי־חָת

On land there is nothing comparable, there is no similar creature, that is made to be entirely fearless.

אֵת־כָּל־גָּבֹהַּ יִרְאֶה הוּא מֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־בְּנֵי־שָׁחַץ

It sees all that is exalted; it is king over all the prideful, large beasts.