| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? | 1"Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook, and tie down its tongue with a rope? |
| 2Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? | 2Can you put a cord through its nose, or pierce its jaw with a hook? |
| 3Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak to you soft words? | 3Will it make numerous supplications to you, will it speak to you with tender words? |
| 4Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever? | 4Will it make a pact with you, so you could take it as your slave for life? |
| 5Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on a leash for your girls? | 5Can you play with it, like a bird, or tie it on a leash for your girls? |
| 6Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? | 6Will partners bargain for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants? |
| 7Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? | 7Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears? |
| 8Lay your hands on him; remember the battle—you will not do it again! | 8If you lay your hand on it, you will remember the fight, and you will never do it again! |
| 9Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him. | 9See, his expectation is wrong, he is laid low even at the sight of it. |
| 10No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me? | 10Is it not fierce when it is awakened? Who is he, then, who can stand before it? |
| 11Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. | 11(Who has confronted me that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs to me!) |
| 12“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame. | 12I will not keep silent about its limbs, and the extent of its might, and the grace of its arrangement. |
| 13Who can strip off his outer garment? Who would come near him with a bridle? | 13Who can uncover its outer covering? Who can penetrate to the inside of its armor? |
| 14Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror. | 14Who can open the doors of its mouth? Its teeth all around are fearsome. |
| 15His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal. | 15Its back has rows of shields, shut up closely together as with a seal; |
| 16One is so near to another that no air can come between them. | 16each one is so close to the next that no air can come between them. |
| 17They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated. | 17They lock tightly together, one to the next; they cling together and cannot be separated. |
| 18His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. | 18Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the red glow of dawn. |
| 19Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. | 19Out of its mouth go flames, sparks of fire shoot forth! |
| 20Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. | 20Smoke streams from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning rushes. |
| 21His breath kindles coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth. | 21Its breath sets coals ablaze and a flame shoots from its mouth. |
| 22In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him. | 22Strength lodges in its neck, and despair runs before it. |
| 23The folds of his flesh stick together, firmly cast on him and immovable. | 23The folds of its flesh are tightly joined; they are firm on it, immovable. |
| 24His heart is hard as a stone, hard as the lower millstone. | 24Its heart is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone. |
| 25When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; at the crashing they are beside themselves. | 25When it rises up, the mighty are terrified, at its thrashing about they withdraw. |
| 26Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail, nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. | 26Whoever strikes it with a sword will have no effect, nor with the spear, arrow, or dart. |
| 27He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. | 27It regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood. |
| 28The arrow cannot make him flee; for him, sling stones are turned to stubble. | 28Arrows do not make it flee; slingstones become like chaff to it. |
| 29Clubs are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rattle of javelins. | 29A club is counted as a piece of straw; it laughs at the rattling of the lance. |
| 30His underparts are like sharp potsherds; he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire. | 30Its underparts are the sharp points of potsherds, it leaves its mark in the mud like a threshing sledge. |
| 31He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. | 31It makes the deep boil like a cauldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment, |
| 32Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be white-haired. | 32It leaves a glistening wake behind it; one would think the deep had a head of white hair. |
| 33On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. | 33The likes of it is not on earth, a creature without fear. |
| 34He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride.” | 34It looks on every haughty being; it is king over all that are proud." |
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