Job 12

¹Then Job answered and said:

²No doubt ye are the whole people! And wisdom will 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 become a laughing-stock to my friend,—I who call upon God, that he would answer me! The innocent and upright man is held in derision.

⁵To calamity belongeth contempt in the mind of one at ease; It is ready for them that slip with the feet.

⁶The tents of robbers are in prosperity, And they who provoke God are secure, Who carry their God in their hand.

⁷For ask now the beasts, and they will teach thee; Or the fowls of the air, and they will tell thee;

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

⁹Who among all these doth not know That the hand of Jehovah doeth these things?

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

¹¹Doth not the ear prove words, As the mouth tasteth meat?

¹²With the aged is wisdom, And with length of days is understanding.

¹³With Him are wisdom and strength; With Him counsel and understanding.

¹⁴Lo! he pulleth down, and it shall not be rebuilt; He bindeth a man, and he shall not be set loose.

¹⁵Lo! he withholdeth the waters, and they are dried up; He sendeth them forth, and they lay waste the earth.

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

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

¹⁸He looseth the authority of kings, And bindeth their loins with a cord.

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

²⁰He removeth speech from the trusty, And taketh away judgment from the elders.

²¹He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the girdle of the mighty.

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

²³He exalteth nations, and destroyeth them; He enlargeth nations, and leadeth them captive.

²⁴He taketh away the understanding of the great men of the land, And causeth them to wander in a wilderness, where is no path;

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

Job 12

¹And 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 mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.

⁵He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

⁶The tabernacles 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 fowls of the air, 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 the Lord 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? and the mouth taste his meat?

¹²With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.

¹³With him is wisdom and strength, 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: also 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 spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.

¹⁸He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.

¹⁹He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.

²⁰He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.

²¹He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

²²He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

²³He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.

²⁴He taketh away the heart of the chief 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.