| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? | 1Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie his tongue down with a rope? |
| 2Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook? | 2Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? |
| 3Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you? | 3Will he beg you for mercy or speak softly to you? |
| 4Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever? | 4Will he make a covenant with you so that you can take him as a slave forever? |
| 5Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens? | 5Can you play with him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? |
| 6Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants? | 6Will traders bargain for him or divide him among the merchants? |
| 7Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? | 7Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? |
| 8Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle— Never do it again! | 8Lay a hand on him. You will remember the battle and never repeat it! |
| 9Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? | 9Any hope of capturing him proves false. Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him? |
| 10No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? | 10No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan; who then can stand against Me? |
| 11Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine. | 11Who confronted Me, that I should repay him? Everything under heaven belongs to Me. |
| 12“I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions. | 12I cannot be silent about his limbs, his power, and his graceful proportions. |
| 13Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? | 13Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double layer of armor? |
| 14Who can open the doors of his face, With his terrible teeth all around? | 14Who can open his jaws, surrounded by those terrifying teeth? |
| 15His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; | 15His pride is in his rows of scales, closely sealed together. |
| 16One is so near another That no air can come between them; | 16One scale is so close to another that no air can pass between them. |
| 17They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. | 17They are joined to one another, so closely connected they cannot be separated. |
| 18His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. | 18His snorting flashes with light, while his eyes are like the rays of dawn. |
| 19Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. | 19Flaming torches shoot from his mouth; fiery sparks fly out! |
| 20Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. | 20Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot or burning reeds. |
| 21His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth. | 21His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames pour out of his mouth. |
| 22Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him. | 22Strength resides in his neck, and dismay dances before him. |
| 23The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved. | 23The folds of his flesh are joined together, solid as metal and immovable. |
| 24His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone. | 24His heart is as hard as a rock, as hard as a lower millstone! |
| 25When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves. | 25When Leviathan rises, the mighty are terrified; they withdraw because of his thrashing. |
| 26Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin. | 26The sword that reaches him will have no effect, nor will a spear, dart, or arrow. |
| 27He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood. | 27He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. |
| 28The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him. | 28No arrow can make him flee; slingstones become like stubble to him. |
| 29Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins. | 29A club is regarded as stubble, and he laughs at the sound of a javelin. |
| 30His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire. | 30His undersides are jagged potsherds, spreading the mud like a threshing sledge. |
| 31He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. | 31He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron; he makes the sea like an ointment jar. |
| 32He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair. | 32He leaves a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had gray hair! |
| 33On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear. | 33He has no equal on earth-- a creature devoid of fear! |
| 34He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.” | 34He surveys everything that is haughty; he is king over all the proud beasts. |
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