Job 12

¹Then Job answered and said,

²No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you.

³But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

⁴I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor, I who called upon God, and he answered: The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock.

⁵In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.

⁶The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

⁷But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:

⁸Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

⁹Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,

¹⁰In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?

¹¹Doth not the ear try words, Even as the palate tasteth its food?

¹²With aged men is wisdom, And in length of days understanding.

¹³WithGodis wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding.

¹⁴Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

¹⁵Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

¹⁶With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his.

¹⁷He leadeth counsellors away stripped, And judges maketh he fools.

¹⁸He looseth the bond of kings, And he bindeth their loins with a girdle.

¹⁹He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty.

²⁰He removeth the speech of the trusty, And taketh away the understanding of the elders.

²¹He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the belt of the strong.

²²He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

²³He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.

²⁴He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

²⁵They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

Job 12

¹Then Job answered:

²“Truly then you are the people with whom wisdom itself will die!

³But I also have a mind; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?

⁴I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.

⁵The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

⁶The tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke God are secure— those who carry their god in their hands.

⁷But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.

⁸Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you.

⁹Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?

¹⁰The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.

¹¹Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food?

¹²Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.

¹³Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His.

¹⁴What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man He imprisons cannot be released.

¹⁵If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.

¹⁶True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His.

¹⁷He leads counselors away barefoot and makes fools of judges.

¹⁸He loosens the bonds placed by kings and fastens a belt around their waists.

¹⁹He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows the established.

²⁰He deprives the trusted of speech and takes away the discernment of elders.

²¹He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.

²²He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into light.

²³He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, then disperses them.

²⁴He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.

²⁵They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.