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

13 “With God[a] are wisdom and strength;
    he has counsel and understanding.(A)
14 If he tears down, no one can rebuild;
    if he shuts someone in, no one can open up.(B)
15 If he withholds the waters, they dry up;
    if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.(C)
16 With him are strength and wisdom;
    the deceived and the deceiver are his.(D)
17 He leads counselors away stripped
    and makes fools of judges.(E)
18 He looses the sash of kings
    and binds a waistcloth on their loins.(F)
19 He leads priests away stripped
    and overthrows the mighty.
20 He deprives of speech those who are trusted
    and takes away the discernment of the elders.(G)
21 He pours contempt on princes
    and looses the belt of the strong.(H)
22 He uncovers deep things from the darkness
    and brings deep darkness to light.(I)
23 He makes nations great, then destroys them;
    he enlarges nations, then leads them away.(J)
24 He strips understanding from the leaders[b] of the earth
    and makes them wander in a pathless waste.(K)
25 They grope in the dark without light;
    he makes them stagger like a drunkard.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 12.13 Heb him
  2. 12.24 Heb adds of the people