1 T hen Job responded,

Then Job answered and said,

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

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

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

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

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

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 the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure, Whom God brings into their power.

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

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

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 let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you.

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

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

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

10 I n whose hand is the life 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 mankind?

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

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

12 “ Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding. Job Speaks of the Power of God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

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