Job 12

1 Then Job answered,

And Job made answer and said,

2 "No doubt, but you are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

No doubt you have knowledge, and wisdom will come to an end with you.

3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Yes, who doesn't know 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?

4 I am like one who is a joke to his neighbor, I, who called on God, and he answered. The just, the blameless man is a joke.

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!

5 In the thought of him who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune. It is ready for them whose foot slips.

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.

6 The tents of robbers prosper. Those who provoke God are secure, who carry their god in their hands.

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.

7 "But ask the animals, now, and they shall teach you; the birds of the sky, and they shall tell you.

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;

8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach you. The fish of the sea shall declare to you.

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.

9 Who doesn't know that in all these, the hand of YHWH has done this,

Who does not see by all these 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 humankind?

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all flesh of man.

11 Doesn't the ear try words, even as the palate tastes its food?

Are not words tested by the ear, even as food is tasted by the mouth?

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

Old men have wisdom, and a long life gives knowledge.

13 "With him is wisdom and might. He has counsel and understanding.

With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his.

14 Look, he breaks down, and it can't be built again. He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

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.

15 Look, he withholds the waters, and they dry up. Again, he sends 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.

16 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;

17 He leads counselors away stripped. He makes judges fools.

He takes away the wisdom of the wise guides, and makes judges foolish;

18 He loosens the bond of kings. He binds their waist with a belt.

He undoes the chains of kings, and puts his band on them;

19 He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the mighty.

He makes priests prisoners, overturning those in safe positions;

20 He removes the speech of those who are trusted, and takes away the understanding of the elders.

He makes the words of responsible persons without effect, and takes away the good sense of the old;

21 He pours contempt on princes, and loosens the belt of the strong.

He puts shame on chiefs, and takes away the power of the strong;

22 He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings out to light the shadow of death.

Uncovering deep things out of the dark, and making the deep shade bright;

23 He increases the nations, and he destroys them. He enlarges the nations, and he leads them captive.

Increasing nations, and sending destruction on them; making wide the lands of peoples, and then giving them up.

24 He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, and causes 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.

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

They go feeling about in the dark without light, wandering without help like those overcome with wine.