Job 12
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Job 12
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| Then Job answered and said, | And Job made answer and said, |
| No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you. | No doubt you have knowledge, and wisdom will come to an end with you. |
| But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yea, who knoweth not such things as these? | But I have a mind as well as you; I am equal to you: yes, who has not knowledge of such things as these? |
| 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. | It seems that I am to be as one who is a cause of laughing to his neighbour, one who makes his prayer to God and is answered! the upright man who has done no wrong is to be made sport of! |
| In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; It is ready for them whose foot slippeth. | In the thought of him who is in comfort there is no respect for one who is in trouble; such is the fate of those whose feet are slipping. |
| The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; Into whose hand God bringeth [abundantly]. | There is wealth in the tents of those who make destruction, and those by whom God is moved to wrath are safe; even those whose god is their strength. |
| But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee: | But put now a question to the beasts, and get teaching from them; or to the birds of the heaven, and they will make it clear to you; |
| Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. | Or to the things which go flat on the earth, and they will give you wisdom; and the fishes of the sea will give you news of it. |
| Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this, | Who does not see by all these that the hand of the Lord has done this? |
| In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? | In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all flesh of man. |
| Doth not the ear try words, Even as the palate tasteth its food? | Are not words tested by the ear, even as food is tasted by the mouth? |
| With aged men is wisdom, And in length of days understanding. | Old men have wisdom, and a long life gives knowledge. |
| With [God] is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding. | With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his. |
| Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening. | Truly, there is no building up of what is pulled down by him; when a man is shut up by him, no one may let him loose. |
| Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. | Truly, he keeps back the waters and they are dry; he sends them out and the earth is overturned. |
| With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his. | With him are strength and wise designs; he who is guided into error, together with his guide, are in his hands; |
| He leadeth counsellors away stripped, And judges maketh he fools. | He takes away the wisdom of the wise guides, and makes judges foolish; |
| He looseth the bond of kings, And he bindeth their loins with a girdle. | He undoes the chains of kings, and puts his band on them; |
| He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty. | He makes priests prisoners, overturning those in safe positions; |
| He removeth the speech of the trusty, And taketh away the understanding of the elders. | He makes the words of responsible persons without effect, and takes away the good sense of the old; |
| He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the belt of the strong. | He puts shame on chiefs, and takes away the power of the strong; |
| He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death. | Uncovering deep things out of the dark, and making the deep shade bright; |
| He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive. | Increasing nations, and sending destruction on them; making wide the lands of peoples, and then giving them up. |
| 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. | He takes away the wisdom of the rulers of the earth, and sends them wandering in a waste where there is no way. |
| They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man. | They go feeling about in the dark without light, wandering without help like those overcome with wine. |
