Job Answers His Critics

12 Then Job answered and said:

“No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!
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?

“I(B) am one mocked by his friends,
Who (C)called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
A [b]lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease;
It is made ready for (D)those whose feet slip.
(E)The tents of robbers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure—
In what God provides by His hand.

“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
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.

Footnotes

  1. Job 12:3 Lit. a heart
  2. Job 12:5 Or disaster
  3. Job 12:10 Or soul
  4. Job 12:10 Lit. all flesh of men
  5. Job 12:11 palate
  6. Job 12:12 Long life
  7. Job 12:19 Lit. priests, but not in a technical sense
  8. Job 12:21 loosens the belt of
  9. Job 12:23 Lit. spreads out
  10. Job 12:24 Lit. heart

约伯的回答

12 约伯回答说:

“你们真是什么都懂的人啊,
你们死了,智慧也会消逝!
但我也有心智,不比你们逊色。
你们说的,谁不知道?
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。
安逸的人心中藐视灾祸,
常常藐视那些滑倒的人。
强盗的帐篷太平,
冒犯上帝、手捧神像的人安稳。

“你去问走兽,它们会指教你;
问天上的飞禽,它们会告诉你;
向大地讨教,大地会指教你,
或让海中的鱼为你阐明。
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。

Job Replies: The Lord Has Done This

12 Then Job answered and said:

“No doubt you are the people,
    and wisdom will die with you.
But I have (A)understanding as well as you;
    I am not inferior to you.
    Who does not know (B)such things as these?
I am (C)a laughingstock to my friends;
    I, who (D)called to God and he answered me,
    a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.
In the thought of one who is (E)at ease there is contempt for misfortune;
    it is ready for those whose feet slip.
(F)The tents of robbers are at peace,
    and those who provoke God are secure,
    who bring their god in their hand.[a]

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
    the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;[b]
    and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
    that (G)the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In (H)his hand is the life of every living thing
    and the breath of all mankind.
11 Does not (I)the ear test words
    as the palate tastes food?
12 Wisdom is with (J)the aged,
    and understanding in length of days.

13 (K)“With God[c] are wisdom and might;
    he has counsel and understanding.
14 If he tears down, none can rebuild;
    if he (L)shuts a man in, none can open.
15 If he (M)withholds the waters, they dry up;
    if he (N)sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
16 With him are strength and (O)sound wisdom;
    the deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leads (P)counselors away stripped,
    and (Q)judges he makes fools.
18 He (R)looses the bonds of kings
    and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
19 He leads priests away stripped
    and overthrows the mighty.
20 He deprives of speech those who are trusted
    (S)and takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 He (T)pours contempt on princes
    and loosens the belt of the strong.
22 He (U)uncovers the deeps out of darkness
    and brings (V)deep darkness to light.
23 He (W)makes nations great, and he destroys them;
    he enlarges nations, and (X)leads them away.
24 He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth
    and (Y)makes them wander in a trackless waste.
25 They (Z)grope in the dark without light,
    and he makes them (AA)stagger like a drunken man.

Footnotes

  1. Job 12:6 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  2. Job 12:8 Or or speak to the earth, and it will teach you
  3. Job 12:13 Hebrew him