Job 12

Job’s Reply to Zophar

¹Then Job answered:

²No doubt you are the people,

and wisdom will die with you!

³But I also have a mind like you;

I am not inferior to you.

Who doesn’t know the things you are talking about? ^a,^b

⁴I am a laughingstock to my ^c friends,

by calling on God, who answers me. ^d

The righteous and blameless man is a laughingstock. ^e

⁵The one who is at ease ^f holds calamity in contempt

and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping.

⁶The tents of robbers are safe, ^g

and those who trouble God are secure;

God holds them in his hands. ^h,ⁱ

⁷But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;

ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. ^j

⁸Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you;

let the fish of the sea inform you.

⁹Which of all these does not know

that the hand of the Lord has done this? ^k

¹⁰The life of every living thing is in his hand,

as well as the breath of all humanity. ^l

¹¹Doesn’t the ear test words

as the palate tastes food?

¹²Wisdom is found with the elderly,

and understanding comes with long life. ^m

¹³Wisdom and strength belong to God;

counsel and understanding are his. ⁿ

¹⁴Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt;

whoever he imprisons cannot be released. ^o

¹⁵When he withholds water, everything dries up,

and when he releases it, it destroys the land. ^p

¹⁶True wisdom and power belong to him.

The deceived and the deceiver are his.

¹⁷He leads counselors away barefoot

and makes judges go mad. ^q

¹⁸He releases the bonds ^r put on by kings ^s

and fastens a belt around their waists.

¹⁹He leads priests away barefoot

and overthrows established leaders. ^t

²⁰He deprives trusted advisers of speech

and takes away the elders’ good judgment.

²¹He pours out contempt on nobles

and disarms ^u the strong.

²²He reveals mysteries from the darkness

and brings the deepest darkness into the light. ^v

²³He makes nations great, then destroys them;

he enlarges nations, ^w then leads them away.

²⁴He deprives the world’s leaders of reason,

and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. ^x

²⁵They grope around in darkness without light;

he makes them stagger like a drunkard. ^y