The Lord Continues
Can You Catch a Sea Monster?
1 Can you catch a sea monster
by using a fishhook?
Can you tie its mouth shut
with a rope?
2 Can it be led around
by a ring in its nose
or a hook in its jaw?
3 Will it beg for mercy?
4 Will it surrender
as a slave for life?
5 Can it be tied by the leg
like a pet bird
for little girls?
6 Is it ever chopped up
and its pieces bargained for
in the fish-market?
7 Can it be killed
with harpoons or spears?
8 Wrestle it just once—
that will be the end.
9 Merely a glimpse of this monster
makes all courage melt.
10 And if it is too fierce
for anyone to attack,
who would dare oppose me?
11 I am in command of the world
and in debt to no one.
12 What powerful legs,
what a stout body
this monster possesses!
13 Who could strip off its armor
or bring it under control
with a harness?
14 Who would try to open its jaws,
full of fearsome teeth?
* 15 Its back is covered
with shield after shield,
16 firmly bound and closer together
17 than breath to breath.
When This Monster Sneezes
18 When this monster sneezes,
lightning flashes, and its eyes
glow like the dawn.
19 Sparks and fiery flames
explode from its mouth.
20 And smoke spews from its nose
like steam
from a boiling pot,
21 while its blazing breath
scorches everything in sight.
22 Its neck is so tremendous
that everyone trembles,
23 the weakest parts of its body
are harder than iron,
24 and its heart is stone.
25 When this noisy monster appears,
even the most powerful
turn and run in fear.
26 No sword or spear can harm it,
27 and weapons of bronze or iron
are as useless as straw
or rotten wood.
28 Rocks thrown from a sling
cause it no more harm
than husks of grain.
This monster fears no arrows,
29 it simply smiles at spears,
and striking it with a stick
is like slapping it with straw.
30 As it crawls through the mud,
its sharp and spiny hide
tears the ground apart.
31 And when it swims down deep,
the sea starts churning
like boiling oil,
32 and it leaves behind a trail
of shining white foam.
33 No other creature on earth
is so fearless.
34 It is king of all proud creatures,
and it looks upon the others
as nothing.
1 “Leviatanna ǁgabeb ǀkha ǃkhō ǁkhāts a,
tamas ka io ams âba tsurib ǀkha ǃgaeǂgan ǁkhāts a?
2 Tsuriba ǁîb ǂguis ǃnâ-u ǃkhāǃkharu ǁkhāts a,
tamas ka io ǁîb ǃnanikha ǁgabeb ǀkha ǃkhāhō ǁkhāts a?
3 ǁÎba ǀkhomhes ǃaroma satsa nî ǀkhoma
tamas ka io ǃgâi mîdi ǀkha satsa nî ǁgoasen?
4 ǀHûǀguisab sats ǀkha nî dī,
sa ǃgāseb nî hoaǁae hâse?
5 Aniro-i ǀkha ra ǀhuru khamits ǁîb ǀkha nî ǀhuru,
tamas ka iots ǁîba tsurib ǀkha nî ǃgae, sa ǃgādi ǃaroma.
6 ǂHarugu-aoga mâtikō marisa gu ǁîb ai ǂgansa nî mîǁgui?
ǁÎba ǂharugu-aogu ǃnâ nî ǀgoraǂgāhe?
7 ǁHâigôab ǀkha ǁîb khōb ǃnâ ǁhâiǃkharu ǁkhāts a
tamas ka io ǁgabeb ǀkha ǁîb danas ǃnâ-u?
8 Sa ǃomkhats ga ǁîb ǃoagu ūkhâi
tsî ǁnā ǃkhams xa ǂâi-o,
ots ǁnāsa ǁkhawa dī tide.
9 “Mû, ǁîba ǃkhōs di ǃâubasens ra ǃan kai tsi;
ǁîba mûs ǀkhats ge ǀnai ra ǂkhabuǂâi.
10 ǁÎb ge ǁaixasa, ǃhuriǃhuri bits kao.
Tari-e ǁnâi ǁîb aiǃâ a mâ ǁkhā?
11 Tari-e ǁîba ǂoeǂoe tsî ǃnorasase ra hâ ǂgao?
ǀHommi ǃnaka hân hoan ge a ti.
12 “Leviatanni di ǀnūgu, tamas ka io ǀgaib
tamas ka io kuruǀgaub xa ta ge ǃhoaǀû tide.
13 Tari-e ǁîb khōba nî ǀkhauǁnâ,
tamas ka io ǁîb ǀgamǃnâgu khōba nî ǃkhāǃkharuǃnâ?
14 Tari-e ǁîb ǃnanikha nî ǁkhowa-am?
ǁîkha ge ǃaoǃaosa ǁgûga ūhâ.
15 ǁÎb ǁâb ge ǁgoesaogu hâ ǂkhōrogu ǀkha a kurusa,
ǀgūguse ǁgoesaogub ǃnâ karosase a kuruǂgansaga.
16 ǁÎgu ge ǂoa-i xare-i ǃkharu tidese
kaise ǀgūguse a ǀgoeǁaesa.
17 ǂKhorogu ge ǀgūguse kuruǀhaosa;
ǀgorahe ǁoasegu ge a ǂaeǁaresa.
18 ǁÎb ga tsî, o di ge nanide ra ǂoaxa;
tsî ǁîb mûra ge soreǁhaib ǀkhâugu khami ǀapa.
19 ǁÎb amsa xub ge ǀaeǁhabuba ra ǂoaxa,
tsîdi ge nanide ǂoab ǃnâ ra khâi.
20 ǁÎb ǂgui-āra xub ge ǀanna ra ǂoaxa,
ǀaes ai mâ ra ǀgû sūsa xus khami.
21 ǁÎb ǀommi ge ǀaesa ra ǃkhāǂhubi;
ǁîb amǃnâba xu gu ge ǀaeǁhabuga ra ǂoaxa.
22 ǁÎb ǃaos ǃnâb ge ǀgaiba ǁan hâ
tsî ǁîba ra mûn hoan ge ǃaob xa ra ǃkhōhe.
23 ǁÎb ǁgan-i ge ǁaposase a ǀhaoǀhaosa;
ǁî-i ge ǁaposa tsî a gongonheǁoasa.
24 ǁÎb di ǂgaob ge ǃgareǀuib khami ǃgari,
tsî ǃnaka ra ǂnû ǁkhamiǀuis khami.
25 ǁÎb ga gon, on ǀgaisan tsîna ǃaob xa ra ǃkhōhe;
ǁîn ge ǁnātimîsi ra ǃkhoeni.
26 Gôab ǀkhats ga ǃkhā bi, xawets xū-e dī bi ǁoa;
tamas ka io sommi, ǂāb tsî ǁhâigôab tsîgu ǀkhas tsîna.
27 ǁÎb tawab ge ǀuriba ǃhoroǀgâb khami ī
tsî brons-e gunu hâ ǀaeb khami.
28 Khās tsî ǂāb tsîn ǀkhats ge ǁîba ǃaoǃao ǁoa,
slengers ǀuirodi ge ǁîb ai ra ǀgaruǃā.
29 ǃHôas ǀkhas tsînats ge ǁîba xū-e a dī ǁoa;
ǁîb ge ǁhâigôagu di ǀōba ra âiǂui.
30 ǁÎb ǃnāb ai ǁgoe ǂkhorogu ge
ǀā sūǂkhorogu khami mâ;
ǃhorotsautsau-ūxūs gôagu khami
daoga ǂgoab ǃnâ ra ǁgui.
31 ǁGammi di ǃgamsibab ge
sūs khami ra xora kai.
Goaǁhabu ra ǃgâiham-olisūs
khamib ge huriba ra ǁaiǁai.
32 ǃGâbǀkhāb aib ge mûmûsa ǂkhaira daoba ra tsâǁgui;
ǃuri ǀgareba ūhâ khamib ge ǁgamma ra mûsen.
33 ǁÎb khami ī kurusabe-ets ge ǃhūbaib ai hō tide,
ǃao-i xare-e ūhâ tama kurusabe-e.
34 ǁÎb xa kai ǀgurun tsînab ge ǃharaxūb ǀkha ra kō;
kai ǀgurun hoan di gaob ge ǁîba.”
