| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then Job answered: | 1Then Job spoke again: |
| 2“Truly then you are the people with whom wisdom itself will die! | 2“You people really know everything, don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you! |
| 3But I also have a mind; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? | 3Well, I know a few things myself— and you’re no better than I am. Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying? |
| 4I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock. | 4Yet my friends laugh at me, for I call on God and expect an answer. I am a just and blameless man, yet they laugh at me. |
| 5The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping. | 5People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling. |
| 6The tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in their hands. | 6But robbers are left in peace, and those who provoke God live in safety— though God keeps them in his power. |
| 7But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you. | 7“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. |
| 8Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you. | 8Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you. |
| 9Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? | 9For they all know that my disaster has come from the hand of the LORD. |
| 10The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind. | 10For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being. |
| 11Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food? | 11The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods. |
| 12Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life. | 12Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. |
| 13Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His. | 13“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his. |
| 14What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man He imprisons cannot be released. | 14What he destroys cannot be rebuilt. When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape. |
| 15If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land. | 15If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth. |
| 16True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His. | 16Yes, strength and wisdom are his; deceivers and deceived are both in his power. |
| 17He leads counselors away barefoot and makes fools of judges. | 17He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools. |
| 18He loosens the bonds placed by kings and fastens a belt around their waists. | 18He removes the royal robe of kings. They are led away with ropes around their waist. |
| 19He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows the established. | 19He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power. |
| 20He deprives the trusted of speech and takes away the discernment of elders. | 20He silences the trusted adviser and removes the insight of the elders. |
| 21He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty. | 21He pours disgrace upon princes and disarms the strong. |
| 22He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into light. | 22“He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom. |
| 23He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, then disperses them. | 23He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them. |
| 24He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. | 24He strips kings of understanding and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland. |
| 25They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards. | 25They grope in the darkness without a light. He makes them stagger like drunkards. |
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