Job 12
12
Job's Reply
1And Job answered and said,
2No doubt but ye are the people,
And wisdom shall die with you.
3But I have understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you:
Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
4I am as one mocked of his neighbour,
Who calleth upon God, and he answereth him:
The just upright man is laughed to scorn.
5He that is ready to slip with his feet
Is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.
6The tabernacles of robbers prosper,
And they that provoke God are secure;
Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
7But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
8Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee:
And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9Who knoweth not in all these
That the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
10In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind.
11Doth not the ear try words?
And the mouth taste his meat?
12With the ancient is wisdom;
And in length of days understanding.
13With him is wisdom and strength,
He hath counsel and understanding.
14Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again:
He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
15Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up:
Also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
16With him is strength and wisdom:
The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17He leadeth counsellors away spoiled,
And maketh the judges fools.
18He looseth the bond of kings,
And girdeth their loins with a girdle.
19He leadeth princes away spoiled,
And overthroweth the mighty.
20He removeth away the speech of the trusty,
And taketh away the understanding of the aged.
21He poureth contempt upon princes,
And weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
22He discovereth deep things out of darkness,
And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
23He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them:
He enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
24He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth,
And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
25They grope in the dark without light,
And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
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Job 12: KJV
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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Learn More About King James VersionJob 12
12
Job Answers His Friends
1Then Job answered them:
2“I’m sure you think you are
the only wise people left.
You think that when you die,
wisdom will be gone with you.
3But my mind is as good as yours.
You aren’t any smarter than I am.
You haven’t said anything
that people don’t already know.
4“My friends laugh at me now.
They say, ‘He prayed to God and got his answer.’
I am a good, innocent man,
but still they laugh at me.
5Those who have no troubles make fun of those who do.
They hit a man when he is down.
6But robbers’ tents are not bothered.
Those who make God angry live in peace,
even though God has them in his power.
7“But ask the animals, and they will teach you.
Or ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.
8Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you.
Or let the fish in the sea tell you their wisdom.
9Everyone knows
that the Lord made these things.
10Every animal that lives and everyone who breathes—
they are all under God’s power.
11But just as the tongue tastes food,
the ears test the words they hear.
12People say, ‘Wisdom is to be found in those who are old.
Long life brings understanding.’
13But wisdom and power belong to God.
Good advice and understanding are his.
14Anything God tears down cannot be rebuilt.
Anyone he puts in prison cannot be set free.
15If he holds back the rain, the earth will dry up.
If he lets the rain loose, it will flood the land.
16God is strong and always wins.
He controls those who fool others and those who are fooled.
17He strips advisors of their wisdom
and makes leaders act like fools.
18He strips kings of their authority
and makes them slaves.
19He strips priests of their power
and removes those who feel so secure in their position.
20He makes trusted advisors be silent.
He takes away the wisdom of the older leaders.
21He brings disgrace to important people.
He takes power away from rulers.
22He exposes even the darkest secrets.
He sends light into places that are as dark as death.
23God makes nations great,
and then he destroys them.
He makes nations grow large,
and then he scatters their people.
24He makes their leaders foolish.
He makes them wander around in the desert.
25They are like someone feeling their way in the dark.
They are like drunks who don’t know where they are going.
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