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Job 12
GOD’S WORD Translation
Job 12
GOD’S WORD Translation
Job Speaks: My Friends Have No Wisdom
12 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “You certainly are ⌞wise⌟ people,
and when you die, wisdom will die.
3 Like you, I have a mind.
I am not inferior to you.
But who doesn’t know these things?
4 I am a laughingstock to my neighbors.
I am one who calls on God and expects an answer.
A man of integrity, a man who is righteous, has become a laughingstock.
5 “A person who has an easy life has no appreciation for misfortune.
He thinks it is the fate of those who slip up.
6 ⌞But⌟ robbers’ tents are prosperous,
and there is security for those who provoke God,
for those whose god is their power.
7 “Instead, ask the animals, and they will teach you.
Ask the birds, and they will tell you.
8 Or speak with the earth, and it will teach you.
Even the fish will relate ⌞the story⌟ to you.
9 What creature doesn’t know that the Lord’s hands made it?
10 The life of every living creature
and the spirit in every human body are in his hands.
11 Doesn’t the ear distinguish sounds
and the tongue taste food?
Wisdom Comes from God
12 “Wisdom is with the ancient one.
The one who has had many days has insight.[a]
13 God has wisdom and strength.
Advice and insight are his.
14 When he tears ⌞something⌟ down, it cannot be rebuilt.
When he puts someone in prison, that person cannot be freed.
15 When he holds back the waters, there is a drought.
When he releases them, they flood the earth.
16 “God has power and priceless wisdom.
He owns ⌞both⌟ the deceiver and the person who is deceived.
17 He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes fools out of judges.
18 He loosens kings’ belts
and strips them of their pants.
19 He leads priests away barefoot
and misleads those who serve in a temple.
20 He makes trusted advisers unable to speak
and takes away the good judgment of respected leaders.
21 He pours contempt on influential people
and unbuckles the belt of the mighty.
22 He uncovers mysteries ⌞hidden⌟ in the darkness
and brings gloom into the light.
23 He makes nations important and then destroys them.
He makes nations large and leads them away.
24 He takes away the common sense of a country’s leaders
and makes them stumble about in a pathless wilderness.
25 They grope in the dark with no light,
and he makes them stumble like drunks.
Footnotes
- 12:12 Or “Wisdom is with the elderly, and understanding with those who have lived a long time.”
Job 12
New International Version
Job 12
New International Version
Job
12 Then Job replied:
2 “Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
and wisdom will die with you!(A)
3 But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?(B)
4 “I have become a laughingstock(C) to my friends,(D)
though I called on God and he answered(E)—
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!(F)
5 Those who are at ease have contempt(G) for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.(H)
6 The tents of marauders are undisturbed,(I)
and those who provoke God are secure(J)—
those God has in his hand.[a]
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,(K)
or the birds in the sky,(L) and they will tell you;(M)
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know(N)
that the hand of the Lord has done this?(O)
10 In his hand is the life(P) of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.(Q)
11 Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?(R)
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?(S)
Does not long life bring understanding?(T)
13 “To God belong wisdom(U) and power;(V)
counsel and understanding are his.(W)
14 What he tears down(X) cannot be rebuilt;(Y)
those he imprisons cannot be released.(Z)
15 If he holds back the waters,(AA) there is drought;(AB)
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.(AC)
16 To him belong strength and insight;(AD)
both deceived and deceiver are his.(AE)
17 He leads rulers away stripped(AF)
and makes fools of judges.(AG)
18 He takes off the shackles(AH) put on by kings
and ties a loincloth[b] around their waist.(AI)
19 He leads priests away stripped(AJ)
and overthrows officials long established.(AK)
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.(AL)
21 He pours contempt on nobles(AM)
and disarms the mighty.(AN)
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness(AO)
and brings utter darkness(AP) into the light.(AQ)
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;(AR)
he enlarges nations,(AS) and disperses them.(AT)
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;(AU)
he makes them wander in a trackless waste.(AV)
25 They grope in darkness with no light;(AW)
he makes them stagger like drunkards.(AX)
Job 12
Nueva Traducción Viviente
Job 12
Nueva Traducción Viviente
Cuarto discurso de Job: respuesta a Zofar
12 Entonces Job habló de nuevo:
2 «Ustedes sí que lo saben todo, ¿no es cierto?
Y cuando mueran, ¡la sabiduría morirá con ustedes!
3 Ahora bien, yo también sé algunas cosas,
y ustedes no son mejores que yo.
¿Quién no sabe estas cosas que acaban de decir?
4 Sin embargo, mis amigos se ríen de mí
porque clamo a Dios y espero una respuesta.
Soy un hombre justo e intachable,
sin embargo, se ríen de mí.
5 La gente que está tranquila se burla de los que están en dificultades.
Le da un empujón a los que tropiezan.
6 Los ladrones están en paz
y los que provocan a Dios viven seguros,
aunque todavía siguen bajo el control de Dios.[a]
7 »Solo pregunten a los animales, y ellos les enseñarán;
pregunten a los pájaros del cielo, y ellos les contarán.
8 Hablen a la tierra, y ella los instruirá;
dejen que los peces del mar les hablen.
9 Pues todos ellos saben
que mi desgracia[b] ha venido de la mano del Señor,
10 ya que la vida de todo ser viviente está en sus manos,
así como el aliento de todo ser humano.
11 El oído pone a prueba las palabras que oye
igual que la boca distingue los sabores.
12 La sabiduría pertenece a los ancianos,
y el entendimiento, a los mayores.
13 »Pero la verdadera sabiduría y el poder se encuentran en Dios;
el consejo y el entendimiento le pertenecen.
14 Lo que él destruye no se puede volver a construir.
Cuando él mete a alguien en la cárcel, no hay escapatoria.
15 Si él detiene la lluvia, la tierra se convierte en un desierto;
si libera las aguas, se inunda la tierra.
16 Así es, la fuerza y la sabiduría le pertenecen a él;
los que engañan y los engañados, los dos están bajo su poder.
17 Él se lleva a los consejeros y les quita el buen juicio;
los jueces sabios se vuelven necios.
18 Él despoja a los reyes del manto real
y son llevados lejos con cuerdas alrededor de la cintura.
19 Él se lleva lejos a los sacerdotes, despojados de su posición;
derroca a los que llevan muchos años en el poder.
20 Él hace callar al consejero de confianza
y quita la percepción a los ancianos.
21 Él derrama deshonra sobre los príncipes
y desarma a los fuertes.
22 ȃl descubre los misterios escondidos en la oscuridad;
trae luz a la más profunda penumbra.
23 Él levanta naciones y las destruye;
hace crecer a las naciones y las abandona.
24 Él quita el entendimiento a los reyes,
y los deja vagando en un desierto sin salida.
25 Ellos andan a tientas en la oscuridad sin una luz;
él los hace tambalear como borrachos.
Job 12
New King James Version
Job 12
New King James Version
Job Answers His Critics
12 Then Job answered and said:
2 “No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!
3 But I have [a]understanding as well as you;
I am not (A)inferior to you.
Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
4 “I(B) am one mocked by his friends,
Who (C)called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
5 A [b]lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease;
It is made ready for (D)those whose feet slip.
6 (E)The tents of robbers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure—
In what God provides by His hand.
7 “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 (F)In whose hand is the [c]life of every living thing,
And the (G)breath of [d]all mankind?
11 Does not the ear test words
And the [e]mouth taste its food?
12 Wisdom is with aged men,
And with [f]length of days, understanding.
13 “With Him are (H)wisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding.
14 If (I)He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt;
If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
15 If He (J)withholds the waters, they dry up;
If He (K)sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
16 With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings,
And binds their waist with a belt.
19 He leads [g]princes away plundered,
And overthrows the mighty.
20 (L)He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 (M)He pours contempt on princes,
And [h]disarms the mighty.
22 He (N)uncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light.
23 (O)He makes nations great, and destroys them;
He [i]enlarges nations, and guides them.
24 He takes away the [j]understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And (P)makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
25 (Q)They grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them (R)stagger like a drunken man.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV)
La Santa Biblia, Nueva Traducción Viviente, © Tyndale House Foundation, 2010. Todos los derechos reservados.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.