Job 12
1 Then Job answered,
And Job answers and says:
2 “No doubt, but you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.
“Truly—you [are] the people, and wisdom dies 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?
I also have a heart like you, I am not fallen more than you, And with whom is there not like 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.
I am a laughter to his friend: He calls to God, and He answers him, A laughter [is] the perfect righteous one.
5 In the thought of him who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune. It is ready for them whose foot slips.
A torch—despised in the thoughts of the secure Is prepared for those sliding with the feet.
6 The tents of robbers prosper. Those who provoke God are secure, who carry their god in their hands.
The tents of spoilers are at peace, And those provoking God have confidence, Into whose hand God has brought.
7 “But ask the animals now, and they will teach you; the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
And yet, now ask [one of] the beasts, And it shows you, And a bird of the heavens, And it declares to you.
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you. The fish of the sea will declare to you.
Or talk to the earth, and it shows you, And fishes of the sea recount to you:
9 Who doesn’t know that in all these, Yahweh’s hand has done this,
Who has not known in all these, That the hand of YHWH has done this?
10 in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?
In whose hand [is] the breath of every living thing, And the spirit of all flesh of man.
11 Doesn’t the ear try words, even as the palate tastes its food?
Does the ear not try words? And the palate taste food for itself?
12 With aged men is wisdom, in length of days understanding.
With the very aged [is] wisdom, And [with] length of days [is] understanding.
13 “With God is wisdom and might. He has counsel and understanding.
With Him [are] wisdom and might, To Him [are] counsel and understanding.
14 Behold, he breaks down, and it can’t be built again. He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
Behold, He breaks down, and it is not built up, He shuts against a man, And it is not opened.
15 Behold, he withholds the waters, and they dry up. Again, he sends them out, and they overturn the earth.
Behold, He keeps in the waters, and they are dried up, And He sends them forth, And they overturn the land.
16 With him is strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver are his.
With Him [are] strength and wisdom, His the deceived and deceiver.
17 He leads counselors away stripped. He makes judges fools.
Causing counselors to go away [as] a spoil, Indeed, He makes fools of judges.
18 He loosens the bond of kings. He binds their waist with a belt.
He has opened the bands of kings, And He binds a girdle on their loins.
19 He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the mighty.
Causing ministers to go away [as] a spoil And strong ones He overthrows.
20 He removes the speech of those who are trusted, and takes away the understanding of the elders.
Turning aside the lip of the steadfast, And the reason of the aged He takes away.
21 He pours contempt on princes, and loosens the belt of the strong.
Pouring contempt on princes, And the girdle of the mighty He made feeble.
22 He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings out to light the shadow of death.
Removing deep things out of darkness, And He brings out to light death-shade.
23 He increases the nations, and he destroys them. He enlarges the nations, and he leads them captive.
Magnifying the nations, and He destroys them, Spreading out the nations, and He quiets them.
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.
Turning aside the heart Of the heads of the people of the land, And He causes them to wander In vacancy—no way!
25 They grope in the dark without light. He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
They feel darkness, and not light, He causes them to wander as a drunkard.”
