⁷ “Ask the wild animals, and they’ll teach you;
    the birds of the sky will tell you.
⁸ Or ask the green plants of the earth and they’ll teach you;
    let the fish in the sea tell you.
⁹ Who among all of these doesn’t know
    that the Lord’s hand made them,^[a]
10 and that the life of every living thing^[b] rests in his control,
    along with the breath of every living human being?
¹¹ The ear scrutinizes speech
    just as the palate tastes food.”

¹² “Wisdom may be found in the company of the aged.
    Understanding comes^[c] with longevity.