1 T hen Job responded,

Then Job answered,

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

“No doubt, but you 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. Yes, who doesn’t 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.

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.

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

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

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. Those who provoke God are secure, who carry their God in their hands.

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

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

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 you. The fish of the sea shall declare to you.

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

Who doesn’t know that in all these, Yahweh’s hand has done this,

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

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?

Doesn’t the ear try words, even as the palate tastes 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, 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 has 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 breaks down, and it can’t be built again. 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.

Behold, he withholds the waters, and they dry up. Again, he sends 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 leads counselors away stripped. He makes judges fools.

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

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

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

He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the mighty.

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

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

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

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

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

He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings 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 increases the nations, and he destroys them. He enlarges the nations, and he leads them captive.

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

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.

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

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