The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 And Job made answer and said,
1
Yes, you are the voice of the people.
2 No doubt you have knowledge, and wisdom will come to an end with you.
2
When you die, wisdom will die with you.
3 But I have a mind as well as you; I am equal to you: yes, who has not knowledge of such things as these?
3
But I have as much sense as you have; I am in no way inferior to you; everyone knows all that you have said.
4 It seems that I am to be as one who is a cause of laughing to his neighbour, one who makes his prayer to God and is answered! the upright man who has done no wrong is to be made sport of!
4
Even my friends laugh at me now; they laugh, although I am righteous and blameless; but there was a time when God answered my prayers.
5 In the thought of him who is in comfort there is no respect for one who is in trouble; such is the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
5
You have no troubles, and yet you make fun of me; you hit someone who is about to fall.
6 There is wealth in the tents of those who make destruction, and those by whom God is moved to wrath are safe; even those whose god is their strength.
6
But thieves and godless people live in peace, though their only god is their own strength.
7 But put now a question to the beasts, and get teaching from them; or to the birds of the heaven, and they will make it clear to you;
7
Even birds and animals have much they could teach you;
8 Or to the things which go flat on the earth, and they will give you wisdom; and the fishes of the sea will give you news of it.
8
ask the creatures of earth and sea for their wisdom.
9 Who does not see by all these that the hand of the Lord has done this?
9
All of them know that the Lord's hand made them.
10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all flesh of man.
10
It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone's life is in his power.
11 Are not words tested by the ear, even as food is tasted by the mouth?
11
But just as your tongue enjoys tasting food, your ears enjoy hearing words.
12 Old men have wisdom, and a long life gives knowledge.
12
Old people have wisdom, but God has wisdom and power. Old people have insight; God has insight and power to act.
13 With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his.
14 Truly, there is no building up of what is pulled down by him; when a man is shut up by him, no one may let him loose.
14
When God tears down, who can rebuild, and who can free those God imprisons?
15 Truly, he keeps back the waters and they are dry; he sends them out and the earth is overturned.
15
Drought comes when God withholds rain; floods come when he turns water loose.
16 With him are strength and wise designs; he who is guided into error, together with his guide, are in his hands;
16
God is strong and always victorious; both deceived and deceiver are in his power.
17 He takes away the wisdom of the wise guides, and makes judges foolish;
17
He takes away the wisdom of rulers and makes leaders act like fools.
18 He undoes the chains of kings, and puts his band on them;
18
He dethrones kings and makes them prisoners;
19 He makes priests prisoners, overturning those in safe positions;
19
he humbles priests and men of power.
20 He makes the words of responsible persons without effect, and takes away the good sense of the old;
20
He silences those who are trusted, and takes the wisdom of old people away.
21 He puts shame on chiefs, and takes away the power of the strong;
21
He disgraces those in power and puts an end to the strength of rulers.
22 Uncovering deep things out of the dark, and making the deep shade bright;
22
He sends light to places dark as death.
23 Increasing nations, and sending destruction on them; making wide the lands of peoples, and then giving them up.
23
He makes nations strong and great, but then he defeats and destroys them.
24 He takes away the wisdom of the rulers of the earth, and sends them wandering in a waste where there is no way.
24
He makes their leaders foolish and lets them wander confused and lost;
25 They go feeling about in the dark without light, wandering without help like those overcome with wine.
25
they grope in the dark and stagger like drunkards.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.