Job 12:13-25

Christian Standard Bible

¹³ Wisdom and strength belong to God;
counsel and understanding are his.^(A)
14 Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
whoever he imprisons cannot be released.^(B)
15 When he withholds water, everything dries up,
and when he releases it, it destroys the land.^(C)
16 True wisdom and power belong to him.
The deceived and the deceiver are his.
¹⁷ He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes judges go mad.^(D)
18 He releases the bonds^[a] put on by kings^(E)
and fastens a belt around their waists.
¹⁹ He leads priests away barefoot
and overthrows established leaders.^(F)
20 He deprives trusted advisers of speech
and takes away the elders’ good judgment.
²¹ He pours out contempt on nobles
and disarms^[b] the strong.
²² He reveals mysteries from the darkness
and brings the deepest darkness into the light.^(G)
23 He makes nations great, then destroys them;
he enlarges nations,^(H) then leads them away.
²⁴ He deprives the world’s leaders of reason,
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.^(I)
25 They grope around in darkness without light;
he makes them stagger like a drunkard.^(J)