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13 “With God is wisdom and might.
    He has counsel and understanding.
14 Behold, he breaks down, and it can’t be built again.
    He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
15 Behold, he withholds the waters, and they dry up.
    Again, he sends them out, and they overturn the earth.
16 With him is strength and wisdom.
    The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leads counselors away stripped.
    He makes judges fools.
18 He loosens the bond of kings.
    He binds their waist with a belt.
19 He leads priests away stripped,
    and overthrows the mighty.
20 He removes the speech of those who are trusted,
    and takes away the understanding of the elders.
21 He pours contempt on princes,
    and loosens the belt of the strong.
22 He uncovers deep things out of darkness,
    and brings out to light the shadow of death.
23 He increases the nations, and he destroys them.
    He enlarges the nations, and he leads them captive.
24 He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth,
    and causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
25 They grope in the dark without light.
    He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

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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)

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Footnotes

  1. 12:18 Text emended; MT reads discipline
  2. 12:21 Lit and loosens the belt of