Job 12 Parallel Bible Translations

Job 12 ▼
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1 Then Job responded, Then Job answered and said: Then Job replied:
2 “No doubt you are the [only wise] people [in the world], And wisdom will die with you! “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you. “Doubtless you are the only people who matter, and wisdom will die with you!
3 “But I have intelligence and understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these [of God’s wisdom and might]? But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? But I have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things?
4 “I am a joke to my friends; I, one whom God answered when he called upon Him— A just and blameless man is a joke [and laughed to scorn]. I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called to God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock. “I have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God and he answered— a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!
5 “He who is at ease has contempt for misfortune, But misfortune is ready [and anxiously waiting] for those whose feet slip. In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip. Those who are at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
6 “The tents of the destroyers prosper; And those who provoke God are [apparently] secure, Whom God brings into their power. The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand. The tents of marauders are undisturbed, and those who provoke God are secure— those God has in his hand.
7 “Now ask the animals, and let them teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character]; And ask the birds of the air, and let them tell you; “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
8 Or speak to the earth [with its many forms of life], and it will teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare [this truth] to you. or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 “Who among all these does not recognize [in all these things that good and evil are randomly scattered throughout nature and human life] That the hand of the LORD has done this, Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
11 “Does the ear not put words to the test, Just as the palate tastes its food [distinguishing between the desirable and the undesirable]? Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food? Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?
12 “With the aged [you say] is wisdom, And with long life is understanding. Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
13 “But [only] with Him are [perfect] wisdom and might; He [alone] has [true] counsel and understanding. “With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.
14 “Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He imprisons a man, and there can be no release. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; those he imprisons cannot be released.
15 “Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up; Again, He sends the waters out, and they overwhelm and devastate the earth. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.
16 “With Him are might and sound wisdom, The misled and the misleader are His [and in His power]. With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his. To him belong strength and insight; both deceived and deceiver are his.
17 “He makes [great and scheming] counselors walk barefoot And makes fools of judges. He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools. He leads rulers away stripped and makes fools of judges.
18 “He loosens the bond of kings And binds their loins with a loincloth. He looses the bonds of kings and binds a waistcloth on their hips. He takes off the shackles put on by kings and ties a loincloth around their waist.
19 “He makes priests walk barefoot, And He overturns men firmly seated and secure. He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty. He leads priests away stripped and overthrows officials long established.
20 “He deprives the trusted ones of speech And takes away the discernment and discretion of the aged. He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders. He silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of elders.
21 “He pours contempt on princes and nobles And loosens the belt of the strong [disabling them]. He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong. He pours contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.
22 “He uncovers mysteries [that are difficult to grasp and understand] out of the darkness And brings black gloom and the shadow of death into light. He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light. He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.
23 “He makes nations great, and He destroys them; He enlarges nations, and leads them away [captive]. He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them.
24 “He removes intelligence and understanding from the leaders of the people of the earth And makes them wander and move blindly in a pathless waste. He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a trackless waste. He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he makes them wander in a trackless waste.
25 “They grope in darkness without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.” They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man. They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.
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