Ἰώβ 12
1 ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ιωβ λέγει
Then Job answered and said:
2 εἶτα ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἄνθρωποι ἦ μεθ’ ὑμῶν τελευτήσει σοφία
No doubt ye are the whole people! And wisdom will die with you!
3 κἀμοὶ μὲν καρδία καθ’ ὑμᾶς ἐστιν
But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
4 δίκαιος γὰρ ἀνὴρ καὶ ἄμεμπτος ἐγενήθη εἰς χλεύασμα
I am become a laughing-stock to my friend, —I who call upon God, that he would answer me! The innocent and upright man is held in derision.
5 εἰς χρόνον γὰρ τακτὸν ἡτοίμαστο πεσεῖν ὑπὸ ἄλλους οἴκους τε αὐτοῦ ἐκπορθεῖσθαι ὑπὸ ἀνόμων
To calamity belongeth contempt in the mind of one at ease; It is ready for them that slip with the feet.
6 οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς πεποιθέτω πονηρὸς ὢν ἀθῷος ἔσεσθαι ὅσοι παροργίζουσιν τὸν κύριον ὡς οὐχὶ καὶ ἔτασις αὐτῶν ἔσται
The tents of robbers are in prosperity, And they who provoke God are secure, Who carry their God in their hand.
7 ἀλλὰ δὴ ἐπερώτησον τετράποδα ἐάν σοι εἴπωσιν πετεινὰ δὲ οὐρανοῦ ἐάν σοι ἀπαγγείλωσιν
For ask now the beasts, and they will teach thee; Or the fowls of the air, and they will tell thee;
8 ἐκδιήγησαι δὲ γῇ ἐάν σοι φράσῃ καὶ ἐξηγήσονταί σοι οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης
Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct thee; And the fishes of the sea will declare unto thee.
9 τίς οὐκ ἔγνω ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις ὅτι χεὶρ κυρίου ἐποίησεν ταῦτα
Who among all these doth not know That the hand of Jehovah doeth these things?
10 εἰ μὴ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ψυχὴ πάντων τῶν ζώντων καὶ πνεῦμα παντὸς ἀνθρώπου
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind.
11 οὖς μὲν γὰρ ῥήματα διακρίνει λάρυγξ δὲ σῖτα γεύεται
Doth not the ear prove words, As the mouth tasteth meat?
12 ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ σοφία ἐν δὲ πολλῷ βίῳ ἐπιστήμη
With the aged is wisdom, And with length of days is understanding.
13 παρ’ αὐτῷ σοφία καὶ δύναμις αὐτῷ βουλὴ καὶ σύνεσις
With Him are wisdom and strength; With Him counsel and understanding.
14 ἐὰν καταβάλῃ τίς οἰκοδομήσει ἐὰν κλείσῃ κατὰ ἀνθρώπων τίς ἀνοίξει
Lo! he pulleth down, and it shall not be rebuilt; He bindeth a man, and he shall not be set loose.
15 ἐὰν κωλύσῃ τὸ ὥδωρ ξηρανεῖ τὴν γῆν ἐὰν δὲ ἐπαφῇ ἀπώλεσεν αὐτὴν καταστρέψας
Lo! he withholdeth the waters, and they are dried up; He sendeth them forth, and they lay waste the earth.
16 παρ’ αὐτῷ κράτος καὶ ἰσχύς αὐτῷ ἐπιστήμη καὶ σύνεσις
With him are strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 διάγων βουλευτὰς αἰχμαλώτους κριτὰς δὲ γῆς ἐξέστησεν
He leadeth counsellors away captive, And judges he maketh fools.
18 καθιζάνων βασιλεῖς ἐπὶ θρόνους καὶ περιέδησεν ζώνῃ ὀσφύας αὐτῶν
He looseth the authority of kings, And bindeth their loins with a cord.
19 ἐξαποστέλλων ἱερεῖς αἰχμαλώτους δυνάστας δὲ γῆς κατέστρεψεν
He leadeth priests away captive, And overthroweth the mighty.
20 διαλλάσσων χείλη πιστῶν σύνεσιν δὲ πρεσβυτέρων ἔγνω
He removeth speech from the trusty, And taketh away judgment from the elders.
21 ἐκχέων ἀτιμίαν ἐπ’ ἄρχοντας ταπεινοὺς δὲ ἰάσατο
He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the girdle of the mighty.
22 ἀνακαλύπτων βαθέα ἐκ σκότους ἐξήγαγεν δὲ εἰς φῶς σκιὰν θανάτου
He revealeth deep things out of darkness, And bringeth the shadow of death to light.
23 πλανῶν ἔθνη καὶ ἀπολλύων αὐτά καταστρωννύων ἔθνη καὶ καθοδηγῶν αὐτά
He exalteth nations, and destroyeth them; He enlargeth nations, and leadeth them captive.
24 διαλλάσσων καρδίας ἀρχόντων γῆς ἐπλάνησεν δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁδῷ ᾗ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν
He taketh away the understanding of the great men of the land, And causeth them to wander in a wilderness, where is no path;
25 ψηλαφήσαισαν σκότος καὶ μὴ φῶς πλανηθείησαν δὲ ὥσπερ ὁ μεθύων
They grope in the dark without light; He maketh them stagger like a drunken man.
