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Job 12
Lexham English Bible

Job’s Fourth Speech

12 Then[a] Job answered and said,

2 “Truly indeed you[b] are the people,
and wisdom will die with you.[c]
3 I also have insight[d] like you;[e]
I am not more inferior than you.[f]
And who does not know things like these?[g]
4 I am a laughingstock to my friends:[h]
‘He calls on God, and he answers him.’
A righteous, blameless man is a laughingstock.
5 Those at ease have contempt[i] for the thought of disaster,[j]
but it is ready for those unstable of foot.
6 The tents of the destroyers are at peace,
and there is security for those who provoke God,
for those whom God brings into his hand.[k]
7 “But[l] ask[m] the animals, and they will teach you,
and the birds of the heaven, and they will tell you;
8 or ask the earth, and it will teach you,
and the fishes of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all of these does not know
that Yahweh’s hand has done this?
10 In whose hand is the life of all living things
and the breath of every human being?[n]
11 Does not the ear test words
and the palate taste food for itself?
12 Wisdom is with the aged,
and understanding is in length of days.
13 “With him are wisdom and powerful deeds,
and to him belong counsel and understanding.
14 If he tears down, then[o] it will not be rebuilt;
if he shuts a man in, then[p] he cannot be freed.
15 Look, if he withholds the water,[q] then[r] they dry up;
and if he sends them out, then[s] they overwhelm the land.
16 “Strength and sound wisdom are with him;
the deceived and the deceiver are his.[t]
17 He leads counselors away stripped,
and he makes fools of judges.
18 He loosens the fetters of kings,
and he binds a loincloth on their loins.
19 He leads priests away stripped,
and he overthrows the members of ancient families.[u]
20 He deprives the trustworthy of speech,
and he takes away the discretion of elders.
21 He pours contempt on noblemen,
and he loosens the girdle of the mighty.
22 “He uncovers mysteries out of darkness,
and he brings deep shadow to the light.
23 He makes the nations great, then[v] he destroys them;
he expands the nations, then[w] he guides them.
24 He strips away the insight of the heads of the earth’s people,
and he makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.[x]
25 They grope in the dark without[y] light,
and he makes them stagger like a[z] drunkard.

Footnotes

  1. Job 12:1 Hebrew “And”
  2. Job 12:2 Plural
  3. Job 12:2 Plural
  4. Job 12:3 Literally “Also for me heart”
  5. Job 12:3 Plural
  6. Job 12:3 Plural
  7. Job 12:3 Literally “and who there is not like these”
  8. Job 12:4 Hebrew “to his friends”
  9. Job 12:5 Literally “Contempt is according to the thought of the complacent”
  10. Job 12:5 Literally “a torch”
  11. Job 12:6 Or “power”
  12. Job 12:7 Hebrew “And”
  13. Job 12:7 Or “ask now,” or “please ask”
  14. Job 12:10 Literally “the breath of all the flesh of man”
  15. Job 12:14 Hebrew “and”
  16. Job 12:14 Hebrew “and”
  17. Job 12:15 Or “waters”
  18. Job 12:15 Hebrew “and”
  19. Job 12:15 Hebrew “and”
  20. Job 12:16 Or “for him”
  21. Job 12:19 Literally “the constant”
  22. Job 12:23 Hebrew “and”
  23. Job 12:23 Hebrew “and”
  24. Job 12:24 Literally “in a wasteland not a way”
  25. Job 12:25 Literally “and not”
  26. Job 12:25 Hebrew “the”
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Job 12
International Standard Version

Job Responds to Zophar

12 In response Job replied:

2 “Truly, you are the people
    and wisdom will die with you!
3 Like you, I also have understanding.[a]
    I’m not inferior to you;
        who doesn’t know things[b] like this?”

Job Has Become a Laughingstock

4 “I’m a laughingstock to my friends,
    someone[c] who called on God.
But then he answered this upright and blameless man,
    and I have become[d] a laughingstock.
5 The carefree are thinking, ‘I have contempt for misfortune,’
    Those who are about to stumble deserve it.
6 The tents of robbers are at rest,
    and those who provoke God are secure,
        that is, those who carry their god in their pocket.[e]

Wisdom Can Be Found in God’s Creation

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,[f]
10 and that the life of every living thing[g] rests in his control,
    along with the breath of every living human being?
11 The ear scrutinizes speech
    just as the palate tastes food.”

God is the All-Wise and All-Powerful Creator

12 “Wisdom may be found in the company of the aged.
    Understanding comes[h] with longevity.
13 With God[i] is wisdom and strength;
    counsel and understanding belongs to him.
14 When he tears down, nobody rebuilds;
    when[j] he incarcerates, nobody escapes.
15 When he withholds water, rivers[k] dry up;
    when he lets them loose, they’ll flood[l] the land.

16 “With God[m] are strength and sound wisdom;
    both the deceived and those who deceive are responsible to him.[n]
17 He leads counselors away naked;
    he turns judges into fools.
18 He strips away the authority of kings to punish
    and puts them in prison clothes instead.
19 He leads away the priests naked
    and overthrows the ruling class.[o]
20 He keeps reliable advisors from speaking,[p]
    and removes discernment from elders.
21 He pours contempt on nobles
    and embarrasses[q] the mighty.
22 He uncovers the hidden dimensions from darkness,
    bringing what is in deep shadow to light.
23 He makes nations great, and then destroys them;
    he enlarges nations, but then sends them away to captivity.[r]
24 He withdraws understanding[s] from national leaders of the world,[t]
    causing them to wander through uncharted[u] wilderness.
25 They grope in the dark without light;
    he causes them to stagger around like a drunkard.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 12:3 Lit. my heart is like yours
  2. Job 12:3 The Heb. lacks things
  3. Job 12:4 The Heb. lacks someone
  4. Job 12:4 The Heb. lacks have become
  5. Job 12:6 Lit. hand
  6. Job 12:9 Lit. this
  7. Job 12:10 Lit. all the living
  8. Job 12:12 The Heb. lacks comes
  9. Job 12:13 Lit. him
  10. Job 12:14 Lit. man
  11. Job 12:15 Lit. they
  12. Job 12:15 Lit. overthrow
  13. Job 12:16 Lit. him
  14. Job 12:16 Or are his
  15. Job 12:19 Lit. strong ones
  16. Job 12:20 Lit. deprives the lips of advisors
  17. Job 12:21 Lit. and loosens the belt of
  18. Job 12:23 The Heb. lacks to captivity
  19. Job 12:24 Lit. heart
  20. Job 12:24 Or land
  21. Job 12:24 Or trackless
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