Job 12

¹ Job spoke next. He said:

² Doubtless, you are the voice of the people, and when you die, wisdom will die with you!

³ I can reflect as deeply as ever you can, I am no way inferior to you. And who, for that matter, has not observed as much?

⁴ A man becomes a laughing-stock to his friends if he cries to God and expects an answer. The blameless innocent incurs only mockery.

⁵ ‘Add insult to injury,’ think the prosperous ‘strike the man now that he is staggering!’

⁶ And yet, the tents of brigands are left in peace, and those who challenge God live in safety, and make a god of their two fists!

⁷ If you would learn more, ask the cattle, seek information from the birds of the air.

⁸ The creeping things of earth will give you lessons, and the fishes of the sea will tell you all.

⁹ There is not one such creature but will know this state of things is all of God’s own making.

¹⁰ He holds in his power the soul of every living thing, and the breath of each man’s body.

¹¹ The ear is a judge of speeches, is it not, just as the palate can tell one food from another?

¹² Wisdom is found in the old, and discretion comes with great age.

¹³ But in him there is wisdom, and power too, and decision no less than discretion.

¹⁴ What he destroys, none can rebuild; whom he imprisons, none can release.

¹⁵ Is there a drought? He has checked the waters. Do these play havoc with the earth? He has let them loose

¹⁶ In him is strength, in him resourcefulness, beguiler and beguiled alike are both his slaves

¹⁷ He robs the country’s counsellors of their wits, turns judges into fools.

¹⁸ His hands untie the belt of kings, and bind a rope around their loins.

¹⁹ He makes priests walk barefoot, and overthrows the powers that are established.

²⁰ He strikes the cleverest speakers dumb, and robs old men of their discretion.

²¹ He pours contempt on the nobly born, and unties the girdle of the strong

²² He robs the depths of their darkness, brings deep shadow to the light.

²³ He builds a nation up, then strikes it down, or makes a people grow, and then destroys it.

²⁴ He strips a country’s leaders of their judgement, and leaves them to wander in a trackless waste,

²⁵ to grope about in unlit darkness, and totter like a man in liquor.