40     Moreover the Lord ^aanswered Job, and said:

²     “Shall ^bthe one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?

     He who ^crebukes God, let him answer it.”

Job’s Response to God

^3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

⁴     “Behold, ^dI am vile;

     What shall I answer You?

     ^eI lay my hand over my mouth.

⁵     Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;

     Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

God’s Challenge to Job

^6 ^fThen the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

⁷     “Now ^g ¹prepare yourself like a man;

     ^hI will question you, and you shall answer Me:

⁸     “Would ⁱyou indeed ²annul My judgment?

     Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?

⁹     Have you an arm like God?

     Or can you thunder with ^ja voice like His?

¹⁰     ^kThen adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,

     And array yourself with glory and beauty.

¹¹     Disperse the rage of your wrath;

     Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.

¹²     Look on everyone who is ^lproud, and bring him low;

     Tread down the wicked in their place.

¹³     Hide them in the dust together,

     Bind their faces in hidden darkness.

¹⁴     Then I will also confess to you

     That your own right hand can save you.

¹⁵     “Look now at the ³behemoth, which I made along with you;

     He eats grass like an ox.

¹⁶     See now, his strength is in his hips,

     And his power is in his stomach muscles.

¹⁷     He moves his tail like a cedar;

     The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.

¹⁸     His bones are like beams of bronze,

     His ribs like bars of iron.

¹⁹     He is the first of the ^mways of God;

     Only He who made him can bring near His sword.

²⁰     Surely the mountains ⁿyield food for him,

     And all the beasts of the field play there.

²¹     He lies under the lotus trees,

     In a covert of reeds and marsh.

²²     The lotus trees cover him with their shade;

     The willows by the brook surround him.

²³     Indeed the river may rage,

     Yet he is not disturbed;

     He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,

²⁴     Though he takes it in his eyes,

     Or one pierces his nose with a snare.