Job, 12

¹ And Job proceeded to answer and say:

² “For a fact YOU men are the people, And with YOU wisdom will die out!

³ I too have a heart as well as YOU. I am not inferior to YOU,^*1 And with whom are there not things like these?

⁴ [One who is] a laughingstock to his fellowman I^*1 become, One calling to God^*2 that he should answer him. A laughingstock is the righteous, unblamable one.

⁵ In thought, the carefree one has contempt for extinction itself; It is made ready for those of wobbling feet.

⁶ The tents of the despoilers are unworried, And the ones enraging God^*1 have the safety Belonging to one who has brought a god^*2 in his hand.

⁷ However, ask, please, the domestic animals, and they will instruct you; Also the winged creatures of the heavens, and they will tell you.

⁸ Or show your concern to the earth,^*1 and it will instruct you; And the fishes of the sea will declare it to you.

⁹ Who among all these does not well know That the hand of Jehovah^*1 itself has done this,

¹⁰ In whose hand is the soul of everyone alive And the spirit^*1 of all flesh of man?^*2

¹¹ Does not the ear itself test out words As the palate tastes food?

¹² Is there not wisdom among the aged And understanding [in] length of days?^*1

¹³ With him there are wisdom and mightiness; He has counsel and understanding.

¹⁴ Look! He tears down, that there may be no building up; He makes it shut to man, that it may not be opened up.

¹⁵ Look! He puts a restraint upon the waters and they dry up; And he sends them, and they change the earth.

¹⁶ With him there are strength and practical wisdom; To him belong the one making a mistake and the one leading astray;

¹⁷ He is making counselors go barefoot,^*1 And he makes judges themselves go crazy.

¹⁸ The bonds^*1 of kings he actually loosens, And he binds a belt upon their hips.

¹⁹ He is making priests walk barefoot, And permanently seated ones he subverts;^*1

²⁰ He is removing speech^*1 from the faithful ones, And the sensibleness of old men he takes away;

²¹ He is pouring out contempt upon nobles, And the girdle of powerful ones he actually weakens;

²² He is uncovering deep things from the darkness, And he brings forth to the light deep shadow;

²³ Making the nations grow great, that he may destroy them; Spreading out the nations, that he may lead them away;

²⁴ Taking away the heart of the head ones of the people of the land, That he may make them wander about in an empty place, where there is no way.

²⁵ They grope in darkness, where there is no light, That he may make them wander about like a drunken man.