1 Can you catch Leviathan with a fishhook
or tie his tongue down with a rope?
2 Can you put a rope through his snout
or put a hook through his jaws?
3 Will he beg you to let him go?
Will he plead with you for mercy?
4 Will he make an agreement with you
and promise to serve you forever?
5 Will you tie him like a pet bird,
like something to amuse your servant women?
6 Will fishermen bargain over him?
Will merchants cut him up to sell?
7 Can you fill his hide with fishing spears
or pierce his head with a harpoon?
8 Touch him once and you'll never try it again;
you'll never forget the fight!
9 Anyone who sees Leviathan
loses courage and falls to the ground.
10 When he is aroused, he is fierce;
no one would dare to stand before him.
11 Who can attack him and still be safe?
No one in all the world can do it.
12 Let me tell you about Leviathan's legs
and describe how great and strong he is.
13 No one can tear off his outer coat
or pierce the armor he wears.
14 Who can make him open his jaws,
ringed with those terrifying teeth?
15 His back is made of rows of shields,
fastened together and hard as stone.
16 Each one is joined so tight to the next,
not even a breath can come between.
17 They all are fastened so firmly together
that nothing can ever pull them apart.
18 Light flashes when he sneezes,
and his eyes glow like the rising sun.
19 Flames blaze from his mouth,
and streams of sparks fly out.
20 Smoke comes pouring out of his nose,
like smoke from weeds burning under a pot.
21 His breath starts fires burning;
flames leap out of his mouth.
22 His neck is so powerful
that all who meet him are terrified.
23 There is not a weak spot in his skin;
it is as hard and unyielding as iron.
24 His stony heart is without fear,
as unyielding and hard as a millstone.
25 When he rises up, even the strongest are frightened;
they are helpless with fear.
26 There is no sword that can wound him;
no spear or arrow or lance that can harm him.
27 For him iron is as flimsy as straw,
and bronze as soft as rotten wood.
28 There is no arrow that can make him run;
rocks thrown at him are like bits of straw.
29 To him a club is a piece of straw,
and he laughs when men throw spears.
30 The scales on his belly are like jagged pieces of pottery;
they tear up the muddy ground like a threshing sledge.
31 He churns up the sea like boiling water
and makes it bubble like a pot of oil.
32 He leaves a shining path behind him
and turns the sea to white foam.
33 There is nothing on earth to compare with him;
he is a creature that has no fear.
34 He looks down on even the proudest animals;
he is king of all wild beasts.
1 Nul n’est assez hardi pour l’exciter;
Qui donc me résisterait en face?
2 De qui suis-je le débiteur? Je le paierai.
Sous le ciel tout m’appartient.
3 Je veux encore parler de ses membres,
Et de sa force, et de la beauté de sa structure.
4 Qui soulèvera son vêtement?
Qui pénétrera entre ses mâchoires?
5 Qui ouvrira les portes de sa gueule?
Autour de ses dents habite la terreur.
6 Ses magnifiques et puissants boucliers
Sont unis ensemble comme par un sceau;
7 Ils se serrent l’un contre l’autre,
Et l’air ne passerait pas entre eux;
8 Ce sont des frères qui s’embrassent,
Se saisissent, demeurent inséparables.
9 Ses éternuements font briller la lumière;
Ses yeux sont comme les paupières de l’aurore.
10 Des flammes jaillissent de sa bouche,
Des étincelles de feu s’en échappent.
11 Une fumée sort de ses narines,
Comme d’un vase qui bout, d’une chaudière ardente.
12 Son souffle allume les charbons,
Sa gueule lance la flamme.
13 La force a son cou pour demeure,
Et l’effroi bondit au-devant de lui.
14 Ses parties charnues tiennent ensemble,
Fondues sur lui, inébranlables.
15 Son cœur est dur comme la pierre,
Dur comme la meule inférieure.
16 Quand il se lève, les plus vaillants ont peur,
Et l’épouvante les fait fuir.
17 C’est en vain qu’on l’attaque avec l’épée;
La lance, le javelot, la cuirasse, ne servent à rien.
18 Il regarde le fer comme de la paille,
L’airain comme du bois pourri.
19 La flèche ne le met pas en fuite,
Les pierres de la fronde sont pour lui du chaume.
20 Il ne voit dans la massue qu’un brin de paille,
Il rit au sifflement des dards.
21 Sous son ventre sont des pointes aiguës:
On dirait une herse qu’il étend sur le limon.
22 Il fait bouillir le fond de la mer comme une chaudière,
Il l’agite comme un vase rempli de parfums.
23 Il laisse après lui un sentier lumineux;
L’abîme prend la chevelure d’un vieillard.
24 Sur la terre nul n’est son maître;
Il a été créé pour ne rien craindre.
25 Il regarde avec dédain tout ce qui est élevé,
Il est le roi des plus fiers animaux.
