Job 12

Job Chides His Accusers

1 Then Job responded,

2 "Truly then you are the people,
And with you wisdom will die!

3 "But I have intelligence as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
And who does not know such things as these?

4 "I am a joke to my friends,
The one who called on God and He answered him;
The just and blameless man is a joke.

5 "He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt,
As prepared for those whose feet slip.

6 "The tents of the destroyers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure,
Whom God brings into their power.

7 "But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;
And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.

8 "Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;
And let the fish of the sea declare to you.

9 "Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the LORD has done this,

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

11 "Does not the ear test words,
As the palate tastes its food?

12 "Wisdom is with aged men,
With long life is understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God

13 "With Him are wisdom and might;
To Him belong counsel and understanding.

14 "Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

15 "Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;
And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.

16 "With Him are strength and sound wisdom,
The misled and the misleader belong to Him.

17 "He makes counselors walk barefoot
And makes fools of judges.

18 "He loosens the bond of kings
And binds their loins with a girdle.

19 "He makes priests walk barefoot
And overthrows the secure ones.

20 "He deprives the trusted ones of speech
And takes away the discernment of the elders.

21 "He pours contempt on nobles
And loosens the belt of the strong.

22 "He reveals mysteries from the darkness
And brings the deep darkness into light.

23 "He makes the nations great, then destroys them;
He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

24 "He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people
And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

25 "They grope in darkness with no light,
And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Job 12

1 Then Job answered and said,

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

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

4 I 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13 With God is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

24 He 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.

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