Study

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And the L ord said to Job:

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“Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?

Anyone who argues with God must respond.”

 

Job’s Response to God

³ Then Job answered the L ord:

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“See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?

I lay my hand on my mouth.

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I have spoken once, and I will not answer;

twice, but will proceed no further.”

 

God’s Challenge to Job

⁶ Then the L ord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

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“Gird up your loins like a man;

I will question you, and you declare to me.

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Will you even put me in the wrong?

Will you condemn me that you may be justified?

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Have you an arm like God,

and can you thunder with a voice like his?

 

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“Deck yourself with majesty and dignity;

clothe yourself with glory and splendor.

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Pour out the overflowings of your anger,

and look on all who are proud, and abase them.

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Look on all who are proud, and bring them low;

tread down the wicked where they stand.

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Hide them all in the dust together;

bind their faces in the world below.

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Then I will also acknowledge to you

that your own right hand can give you victory.

 

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“Look at Behemoth,

which I made just as I made you;

it eats grass like an ox.

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Its strength is in its loins,

and its power in the muscles of its belly.

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It makes its tail stiff like a cedar;

the sinews of its thighs are knit together.

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Its bones are tubes of bronze,

its limbs like bars of iron.

 

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“It is the first of the great acts of God—

only its Maker can approach it with the sword.

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For the mountains yield food for it

where all the wild animals play.

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Under the lotus plants it lies,

in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh.

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The lotus trees cover it for shade;

the willows of the wadi surround it.

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Even if the river is turbulent, it is not frightened;

it is confident though Jordan rushes against its mouth.

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Can one take it with hooks

or pierce its nose with a snare?