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25 I expose the false prophets as liars
    and make fools of fortune-tellers.
I cause the wise to give bad advice,
    thus proving them to be fools.

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25 who foils(A) the signs of false prophets
    and makes fools of diviners,(B)
who overthrows the learning of the wise(C)
    and turns it into nonsense,(D)

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12 He frustrates the plans of schemers
    so the work of their hands will not succeed.
13 He traps the wise in their own cleverness
    so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
14 They find it is dark in the daytime,
    and they grope at noon as if it were night.

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12 He thwarts the plans(A) of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.(B)
13 He catches the wise(C) in their craftiness,(D)
    and the schemes of the wily are swept away.(E)
14 Darkness(F) comes upon them in the daytime;
    at noon they grope as in the night.(G)

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10 The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
    and thwarts all their schemes.

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10 The Lord foils(A) the plans(B) of the nations;(C)
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

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36 The sword will strike her wise counselors,
    and they will become fools.
The sword will strike her mightiest warriors,
    and panic will seize them.

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36 A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(A)
    They will be filled with terror.(B)

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31 When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, “O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!”

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31 Now David had been told, “Ahithophel(A) is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

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57 I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
    along with her captains, officers, and warriors.
They will fall asleep
    and never wake up again!”
says the King, whose name is
    the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

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57 I will make her officials(A) and wise(B) men drunk,(C)
    her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep(D) forever and not awake,”
    declares the King,(E) whose name is the Lord Almighty.

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12 “Now use your magical charms!
    Use the spells you have worked at all these years!
Maybe they will do you some good.
    Maybe they can make someone afraid of you.
13 All the advice you receive has made you tired.
    Where are all your astrologers,
those stargazers who make predictions each month?
    Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.
14 But they are like straw burning in a fire;
    they cannot save themselves from the flame.
You will get no help from them at all;
    their hearth is no place to sit for warmth.

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12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
    and with your many sorceries,(A)
    which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
    perhaps you will cause terror.
13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!(B)
    Let your astrologers(C) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
    let them save(D) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(E)
    the fire(F) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
    from the power of the flame.(G)
These are not coals for warmth;
    this is not a fire to sit by.

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20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[a] Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy[b] when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:24 Greek and Greeks.
  2. 1:26 Or high born.

20 Where is the wise person?(A) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?(B) Has not God made foolish(C) the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world(D) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save(E) those who believe.(F) 22 Jews demand signs(G) and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified:(H) a stumbling block(I) to Jews and foolishness(J) to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called,(K) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God(L) and the wisdom of God.(M) 25 For the foolishness(N) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness(O) of God is stronger than human strength.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.(P) Not many of you were wise(Q) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose(R) the foolish(S) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

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and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him.

The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers,[a] and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!”

But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:7 Or Chaldeans; also in 5:11.

His face turned pale(A) and he was so frightened(B) that his legs became weak(C) and his knees were knocking.(D)

The king summoned the enchanters,(E) astrologers[a](F) and diviners.(G) Then he said to these wise(H) men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck,(I) and he will be made the third(J) highest ruler in the kingdom.”(K)

Then all the king’s wise men(L) came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 5:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 11

14 Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites
    with amazing wonders.
The wisdom of the wise will pass away,
    and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”

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14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
    with wonder upon wonder;(A)
the wisdom of the wise(B) will perish,
    the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.(C)

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19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,

“He traps the wise
    in the snare of their own cleverness.”[a]

20 And again,

“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise;
    he knows they are worthless.”[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 3:19 Job 5:13.
  2. 3:20 Ps 94:11.

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness(A) in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”[a];(B) 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”[b](C)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:19 Job 5:13
  2. 1 Corinthians 3:20 Psalm 94:11

When all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers,[a] and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant.

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Footnotes

  1. 4:7 Or Chaldeans.

When the magicians,(A) enchanters, astrologers[a] and diviners(B) came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 4:7 Or Chaldeans

10 The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! 11 The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.”

12 The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed.

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10 The astrologers(A) answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.(B) 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,(C) and they do not live among humans.”

12 This made the king so angry and furious(D) that he ordered the execution(E) of all the wise men of Babylon.

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