Job 12:13-25
Christian Standard Bible
13 Wisdom and strength belong to God;
counsel and understanding are his.(A)
14 Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
whoever he imprisons cannot be released.(B)
15 When he withholds water, everything dries up,
and when he releases it, it destroys the land.(C)
16 True wisdom and power belong to him.
The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes judges go mad.(D)
18 He releases the bonds[a] put on by kings(E)
and fastens a belt around their waists.
19 He leads priests away barefoot
and overthrows established leaders.(F)
20 He deprives trusted advisers of speech
and takes away the elders’ good judgment.
21 He pours out contempt on nobles
and disarms[b] the strong.
22 He reveals mysteries from the darkness
and brings the deepest darkness into the light.(G)
23 He makes nations great, then destroys them;
he enlarges nations,(H) then leads them away.
24 He deprives the world’s leaders of reason,
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.(I)
25 They grope around in darkness without light;
he makes them stagger like a drunkard.(J)
Job 12:13-25
International Standard Version
13 With God[a] is wisdom and strength;
counsel and understanding belongs to him.
14 When he tears down, nobody rebuilds;
when[b] he incarcerates, nobody escapes.
15 When he withholds water, rivers[c] dry up;
when he lets them loose, they’ll flood[d] the land.
16 “With God[e] are strength and sound wisdom;
both the deceived and those who deceive are responsible to him.[f]
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.[g]
20 He keeps reliable advisors from speaking,[h]
and removes discernment from elders.
21 He pours contempt on nobles
and embarrasses[i] 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.[j]
24 He withdraws understanding[k] from national leaders of the world,[l]
causing them to wander through uncharted[m] wilderness.
25 They grope in the dark without light;
he causes them to stagger around like a drunkard.”
Footnotes
- Job 12:13 Lit. him
- Job 12:14 Lit. man
- Job 12:15 Lit. they
- Job 12:15 Lit. overthrow
- Job 12:16 Lit. him
- Job 12:16 Or are his
- Job 12:19 Lit. strong ones
- Job 12:20 Lit. deprives the lips of advisors
- Job 12:21 Lit. and loosens the belt of
- Job 12:23 The Heb. lacks to captivity
- Job 12:24 Lit. heart
- Job 12:24 Or land
- Job 12:24 Or trackless
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