The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Iyov responded:
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And Job made answer and said,
2 "No doubt you are [the only] people [that matter]; and when you die, so will wisdom.
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No doubt you have knowledge, and wisdom will come to an end with you.
3 But I too have a brain, as much as you, In no way am I inferior to you. Besides, who doesn't know things like these?
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But I have a mind as well as you; I am equal to you: yes, who has not knowledge of such things as these?
4 "Anyone who calls on God, and he answers him, becomes a laughingstock to his friends -they make fun of an innocent, blameless man.
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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!
5 Those at ease have contempt for misfortune, for the blow that strikes somebody already staggering.
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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.
6 The tents of robbers prosper, [the homes of] those who anger God are secure, those who carry their gods in their hands.
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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.
7 "But ask the animals - they will teach you -and the birds in the air - they will tell you;
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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;
8 or speak to the earth - it will teach you -and the fish in the sea will inform you:
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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.
9 every one of them knows that the hand of ADONAI has done this!
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Who does not see by all these that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every living thing and the spirit of every human being.
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In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all flesh of man.
11 Shouldn't the ear test words, just as the palate tastes food?
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Are not words tested by the ear, even as food is tasted by the mouth?
12 Is wisdom [only] with aged men? discernment [only] with long life?
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Old men have wisdom, and a long life gives knowledge.
13 "With God are wisdom and power; he has [good] counsel and understanding.
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With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his.
14 When he breaks something down, it can't be rebuilt; when he imprisons someone, he can't be released.
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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.
15 When he holds back water, there is drought; when he sends it out, it overruns the land.
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Truly, he keeps back the waters and they are dry; he sends them out and the earth is overturned.
16 With him are strength and common sense; both the misled and those who mislead are his.
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With him are strength and wise designs; he who is guided into error, together with his guide, are in his hands;
17 He leads counselors away captive, he makes fools of judges.
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He takes away the wisdom of the wise guides, and makes judges foolish;
18 He removes authority from kings, then binds them up [as prisoners].
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He undoes the chains of kings, and puts his band on them;
19 He leads cohanim away captive and overthrows those long in power.
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He makes priests prisoners, overturning those in safe positions;
20 Those who are trusted he deprives of speech, and he removes the discernment of the aged.
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He makes the words of responsible persons without effect, and takes away the good sense of the old;
21 He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
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He puts shame on chiefs, and takes away the power of the strong;
22 He discloses the deepest recesses of darkness and brings light into shadows dark as death.
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Uncovering deep things out of the dark, and making the deep shade bright;
23 He makes nations great and destroys them; he enlarges nations, then leads them away.
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Increasing nations, and sending destruction on them; making wide the lands of peoples, and then giving them up.
24 He removes understanding from a country's leaders and makes them wander in trackless deserts.
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He takes away the wisdom of the rulers of the earth, and sends them wandering in a waste where there is no way.
25 They grope in unlit darkness; he makes them stagger like drunks.
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They go feeling about in the dark without light, wandering without help like those overcome with wine.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.