Job 12
1 Then Job answered and said,
Ayub menjawab, "Memang, kamu ini mewakili umat manusia. Jika kamu mati, hikmat akan mati juga.
2 “No doubt you are the people; wisdom will die with you.
3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
Aku pun manusia yang berakal budi; semua yang kamu katakan itu sudah kumengerti. Lagipula, siapa yang tak tahu semua itu? Jadi, jangan sangka kamu melebihi aku!
4 I am something for my neighbor to laugh at— I, one who called on God and who was answered by him! I, a just and blameless man—I am now something to laugh at.
Aku ditertawakan teman dan sahabat, padahal aku ini benar dan tanpa cacat. Dahulu Allah menjawab doaku, bilamana aku berseru minta dibantu.
5 In the thought of someone who is at ease, there is contempt for misfortune; he thinks in a way that brings more misfortune to those whose foot is slipping.
Kamu menghina orang celaka, sedang hidupmu aman; orang yang hampir jatuh kamu beri pukulan.
6 The tents of robbers prosper, and those who provoke God feel secure; their own hands are their gods.
Tetapi hidup perampok tidak terancam; orang yang berani menentang Allah, hidup tentram. Padahal dewa yang menjadi andalan mereka, hanyalah kekuatan sendiri saja.
7 But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; ask the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you.
Bertanyalah kepada burung dan binatang lainnya maka kamu akan diberi pengajaran oleh mereka.
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Mintalah keterangan kepada makhluk di bumi dan di lautan, maka kamu akan menerima penjelasan.
9 Which animal among all these does not know that the hand of Yahweh has done this?
Siapa di antara semua itu tidak menyadari, bahwa pencipta mereka adalah Allah sendiri?
10 In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
Dia mengatur hidup segala makhluk yang ada; Dia berkuasa atas nyawa setiap manusia.
11 Does not the ear test words just as the palate tastes its food?
Seperti lidahku suka mengecap makanan yang nyaman, begitulah telingaku suka mendengar perkataan.
12 With aged men is wisdom; in length of days is understanding.
Kabarnya, hikmat ada pada orang yang tinggi umurnya, tapi hikmat dan kekuatan ada pada Allah saja. Konon pengertian ada pada orang yang lanjut usia, namun pengertian dan wewenang ada pada Allah jua!
13 With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
14 See, he breaks down, and it cannot be built again; if he imprisons someone, there can be no release.
Apa yang dibongkar-Nya tak dapat dibangun lagi siapa yang ditawan-Nya tak dapat bebas kembali.
15 See, if he withholds the waters, they dry up; and if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
Ia membendung air, maka kering dan tandus semuanya; Ia melepaskannya mengalir, maka banjir melanda!
16 With him are strength and wisdom; people who are deceived and the deceiver are both in his power.
Allah itu kuat, tangguh dan jaya! Si penipu dan yang tertipu ada di bawah kekuasaan-Nya.
17 He leads counselors away barefoot in sorrow; he turns judges into fools.
Dicabut-Nya hikmat para penguasa pemerintahan, dan para pemimpin dijadikan-Nya bahan tertawaan.
18 He takes off the chain of authority from kings; he wraps a cloth about their waists.
Digulingkan-Nya raja dan ditawan-Nya mereka;
19 He leads priests away barefoot in sorrow and overthrows mighty people.
direndahkan-Nya imam-imam dan para pemuka.
20 He removes the speech of those who had been trusted and takes away the understanding of the elders.
Dibungkam-Nya orang yang fasih bicara, dicabut-Nya hikmat orang-orang tua.
21 He pours contempt upon princes and unfastens the belt of strong people.
Dipermalukan-Nya orang yang terkemuka; diambil-Nya kedaulatan mereka yang berkuasa.
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light.
Diterangi-Nya tempat-tempat yang suram; disinari-Nya bayangan-bayangan hitam kelam.
23 He makes nations strong, and he also destroys them; He enlarges nations, and he also leads them along as prisoners.
Bangsa-bangsa dibuat-Nya berkembang dan makmur, lalu dibinasakan-Nya mereka sampai hancur.
24 He takes away understanding from the leaders of the people of the earth; he causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no path.
Dijadikan-Nya para pemimpin kebingungan, sehingga mereka mengembara tanpa tujuan.
25 They grope in the dark without light; he makes them stagger like a drunk man.
Mereka meraba-raba di dalam kegelapan, dan terhuyung-huyung bagai orang mabuk minuman.
