12:1 Then Job answered and said,
12:1 Then Job responded,

12:2 No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you.
12:2 "Truly then you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!

12:3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
12:3 "But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?

12:4 I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor, I who called upon God, and he answered: The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock.
12:4 "I am a joke to my friends. The one who called on God, and He answered him; The just [and] blameless [man] is a joke.

12:5 In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.
12:5 "He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.

12:6 The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; Into whose hand God bringeth (abundantly).
12:6 "The tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure, Whom God brings into their power.

12:7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:
12:7 "But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.

12:8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
12:8 "Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you.

12:9 Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,
12:9 "Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this,

12:10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
12:10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?

12:11 Doth not the ear try words, Even as the palate tasteth its food?
12:11 "Does not the ear test words, As the palate tastes its food?

12:12 With aged men is wisdom, And in length of days understanding.
12:12 "Wisdom is with aged men, [With] long life is understanding.

12:13 With (God) is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding.
12:13 "With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding.

12:14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
12:14 "Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

12:15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
12:15 "Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.

12:16 With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his.
12:16 "With Him are strength and sound wisdom, The misled and the misleader belong to Him.

12:17 He leadeth counsellors away stripped, And judges maketh he fools.
12:17 "He makes counselors walk barefoot, And makes fools of judges.

12:18 He looseth the bond of kings, And he bindeth their loins with a girdle.
12:18 "He loosens the bond of kings, And binds their loins with a girdle.

12:19 He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty.
12:19 "He makes priests walk barefoot, And overthrows the secure ones.

12:20 He removeth the speech of the trusty, And taketh away the understanding of the elders.
12:20 "He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.

12:21 He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the belt of the strong.
12:21 "He pours contempt on nobles, And loosens the belt of the strong.

12:22 He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
12:22 "He reveals mysteries from the darkness, And brings the deep darkness into light.

12:23 He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.
12:23 "He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

12:24 He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
12:24 "He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people, And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

12:25 They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
12:25 "They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.