Job 12
Amplified Bible
Job Chides His Accusers
12 Then Job responded,
2
“No doubt you are the [only wise] people [in the world],
And wisdom will die with you!
3
“But I have intelligence and understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know such things as these [of God’s wisdom and might]?
4
“I am a joke to my friends;
I, one whom God answered when he called upon Him—
A just and blameless man is a joke [and laughed to scorn].
5
“He who is at ease has contempt for misfortune,
But misfortune is ready [and anxiously waiting] for those whose feet slip.
6
“The tents of the destroyers prosper;
And those who provoke God are [apparently] secure,
Whom God brings into their power.
7
“Now ask the animals, and let them teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character];
And ask the birds of the air, and let them tell you;
8
Or speak to the earth [with its many forms of life], and it will teach you;
And let the fish of the sea declare [this truth] to you.
9
“Who among all these does not recognize [in all these things that good and evil are randomly scattered throughout nature and human life]
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
10
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?
11
“Does the ear not put words to the test,
Just as the palate tastes its food [distinguishing between the desirable and the undesirable]?
12
“With the aged [you say] is wisdom,
And with [a]long life is understanding.
Job Speaks of the Power of God
13
“But [only] with Him are [perfect] wisdom and might;
He [alone] has [true] counsel and understanding.
14
“Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
15
“Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;
Again, He sends the waters out, and they overwhelm and devastate the earth.
16
“With Him are might and sound wisdom,
The misled and the misleader are His [and in His power].
17
“He makes [great and scheming] counselors walk barefoot
And makes fools of judges.
18
“He loosens the bond of kings
And binds their loins with a loincloth.
19
“He makes priests walk barefoot,
And He overturns men firmly seated and secure.
20
“He deprives the trusted ones of speech
And takes away the discernment and discretion of the aged.
21
“He pours contempt on princes and nobles
And loosens the belt of the strong [disabling them].
22
“He uncovers mysteries [that are difficult to grasp and understand] out of the darkness
And brings black gloom and the shadow of death into light.
23
“He makes nations great, and He destroys them;
He enlarges nations, and leads them away [captive].
24
“He removes intelligence and understanding from the leaders of the people of the earth
And makes them wander and move blindly in a pathless waste.
25
“They grope in darkness without light,
And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”
Footnotes
- Job 12:12 Lit length of days.
Job 12
King James Version
12 And Job answered and said,
2 No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.
5 He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.
6 The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?
10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
11 Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?
12 With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
13 With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
16 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.
18 He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.
19 He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
20 He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.
21 He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
22 He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
23 He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
24 He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
25 They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
约伯记 12
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
约伯的回答
12 约伯回答说：
2 “你们真是什么都懂的人啊，
你们死了，智慧也会消逝！
3 但我也有心智，不比你们逊色。
你们说的，谁不知道？
4 我这求告上帝并蒙祂应允的人竟成了朋友的笑柄，
我这公义纯全的人竟成了笑柄。
5 安逸的人心中藐视灾祸，
常常藐视那些滑倒的人。
6 强盗的帐篷太平，
冒犯上帝、手捧神像的人安稳。
7 “你去问走兽，它们会指教你；
问天上的飞禽，它们会告诉你；
8 向大地讨教，大地会指教你，
或让海中的鱼为你阐明。
9 它们当中哪个不知这是耶和华所为？
10 所有生灵都在祂手中，
世人的气息也不例外。
11 舌头岂不品尝食物，
耳朵岂不辨别话语？
12 智慧与老人相伴，
知识与长者为伍。
13 “上帝有智慧和权能，
谋略和知识属于祂。
14 祂拆毁的，无法重建；
祂囚禁的，无法获释。
15 祂拦住水源，便有干旱；
祂放开水源，大地被淹没。
16 祂充满力量和智慧。
骗子和受骗者都在祂权下。
17 祂使谋士赤身被掳，
使审判官愚拙不堪。
18 祂除去君王的腰带，
在他们腰间绑上囚索。
19 祂使祭司赤身被掳，
祂推翻久握大权者。
20 祂夺去智者的口才，
祂拿走长者的洞见。
21 祂使权贵倍受羞辱，
祂除掉强者的权势。
22 祂揭露黑暗中的奥秘，
祂把幽暗带入光明中。
23 祂使列国兴起又灭亡，
祂使列国扩张又崩溃。
24 祂夺去世人首领的心智，
使他们在无路的荒野流浪。
25 他们在无光的黑暗中摸索，
像醉汉般踉踉跄跄。
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