Bible Reading Plan – Day 272

₇Stand up straight now,

and answer my questions.

₈Are you trying to prove that I am unjust —

to put me in the wrong and yourself in the right?

₉Are you as strong as I am?

Can your voice thunder as loud as mine?

₁₀If so, stand up in your honour and pride;

clothe yourself with majesty and glory.

₁₁Look at those who are proud;

pour out your anger and humble them.

₁₂Yes, look at them and bring them down;

crush the wicked where they stand.

₁₃Bury them all in the ground;

bind them in the world of the dead.

₁₄Then I will be the first to praise you

and admit that you won the victory yourself.

₁₅Look at the monster Behemoth;

I created him and I created you.

He eats grass like a cow,

₁₆but what strength there is in his body,

and what power there is in his muscles!

₁₇His tail stands up like a cedar,

and the muscles in his legs are strong.

₁₈His bones are as strong as bronze,

and his legs are like iron bars.

₁₉The most amazing of all my creatures!

Only his Creator can defeat him.

₂₀Grass to feed him grows

on the hills where wild beasts play.

₂₁He lies down under the thorn bushes,

and hides among the reeds in the swamp.

₂₂The thorn bushes and the willows by the stream

give him shelter in their shade.

₂₃He is not afraid of a rushing river;

he is calm when the Jordan dashes in his face.

₂₄Who can blind his eyes and capture him?

Or who can catch his snout in a trap?

₁Can you catch Leviathan with a fish-hook

or tie his tongue down with a rope?

₂Can you put a rope through his snout

or put a hook through his jaws?

₃Will he beg you to let him go?

Will he plead with you for mercy?

₄Will he make an agreement with you

and promise to serve you for ever?

₅Will you tie him up like a pet bird,

like something to amuse your servant women?

₆Will fishermen bargain over him?

Will merchants cut him up to sell?

₇Can you fill his hide with fishing spears

or pierce his head with a harpoon?

₈Touch him once and you'll never try it again;

you'll never forget the fight!

₉Anyone who sees Leviathan

loses courage and falls to the ground.

₁₀When he is aroused, he is fierce;

no one would dare to stand before him.

₁₁Who can attack him and still be safe?

No one in all the world can do it.

₁₂Let me tell you about Leviathan's legs

and describe how great and strong he is.

₁₃No one can tear off his outer coat

or pierce the armour he wears.

₁₄Who can make him open his jaws,

ringed with those terrifying teeth?

₁₅His back is made of rows of shields,

fastened together and hard as stone.

₁₆Each one is joined so tight to the next,

not even a breath can come between.

₁₇They all are fastened so firmly together

that nothing can ever pull them apart.

₁₈Light flashes when he sneezes,

and his eyes glow like the rising sun.

₁₉Flames blaze from his mouth,

and streams of sparks fly out.

₂₀Smoke comes pouring out of his nose,

like smoke from weeds burning under a pot.

₂₁His breath starts fires burning;

flames leap out of his mouth.

₂₂His neck is so powerful

that all who meet him are terrified.

₂₃There is not a weak spot in his skin;

it is as hard and unyielding as iron.

₂₄His stony heart is without fear,

as unyielding and hard as a millstone.

₂₅When he rises up, even the strongest are frightened;

they are helpless with fear.

₂₆There is no sword that can wound him;

no spear or arrow or lance that can harm him.

₂₇For him iron is as flimsy as straw,

and bronze as soft as rotten wood.

₂₈There is no arrow that can make him run;

rocks thrown at him are like bits of straw.

₂₉To him a club is a piece of straw,

and he laughs when men throw spears.

₃₀The scales on his belly are like jagged pieces of pottery;

they tear up the muddy ground like a threshing-sledge.

₃₁He churns up the sea like boiling water

and makes it bubble like a pot of oil.

₃₂He leaves a shining path behind him

and turns the sea to white foam.

₃₃There is nothing on earth to compare with him;

he is a creature that has no fear.

₃₄He looks down on even the proudest animals;

he is king of all wild beasts.

₂I know, LORD, that you are all-powerful;

that you can do everything you want.

₃You ask how I dare question your wisdom

when I am so very ignorant.

I talked about things I did not understand,

about marvels too great for me to know.

₄You told me to listen while you spoke

and to try to answer your questions.

₅In the past I knew only what others had told me,

but now I have seen you with my own eyes.

₆So I am ashamed of all I have said

and repent in dust and ashes.