1 A nd Job answereth and saith: --

Then Job responded,

2 T ruly -- ye the people, And with you doth wisdom die.

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

3 I also have a heart like you, I am not fallen more than you, And with whom is there not like these?

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

4 A laughter to his friend I am: `He calleth to God, and He answereth him,' A laughter the perfect righteous one.

“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 A torch -- despised in the thoughts of the secure Is prepared for those sliding with the feet.

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

6 A t peace are the tents of spoilers, And those provoking God have confidence, He into whose hand God hath brought.

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

7 A nd yet, ask, I pray thee, the beasts, and it doth shew thee, And a fowl of the heavens, And it doth declare to thee.

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

8 O r talk to the earth, and it sheweth thee, And fishes of the sea recount to thee:

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

9 ` Who hath not known in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath done this?

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

10 I n whose hand the breath of every living thing, And the spirit of all flesh of man.'

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

11 D oth not the ear try words? And the palate taste food for itself?

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

12 W ith the very aged wisdom, And length of days understanding.

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

13 W ith Him wisdom and might, To him counsel and understanding.

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

14 L o, He breaketh down, and it is not built up, He shutteth against a man, And it is not opened.

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

15 L o, He keepeth in the waters, and they are dried up, And he sendeth them forth, And they overturn the land.

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

16 W ith Him strength and wisdom, His the deceived and deceiver.

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

17 C ausing counsellors to go away a spoil, And judges He maketh foolish.

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

18 T he bands of kings He hath opened, And He bindeth a girdle on their loins.

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

19 C ausing ministers to go away a spoil And strong ones He overthroweth.

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

20 T urning aside the lip of the stedfast, And the reason of the aged He taketh away.

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

21 P ouring contempt upon princes, And the girdle of the mighty He made feeble.

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

22 R emoving deep things out of darkness, And He bringeth out to light death-shade.

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

23 M agnifying the nations, and He destroyeth them, Spreading out the nations, and He quieteth them.

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

24 T urning aside the heart Of the heads of the people of the land, And he causeth them to wander In vacancy -- no way!

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

25 T hey feel darkness, and not light, He causeth them to wander as a drunkard.

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