New American Standard Bible NAS
English Standard Version ESV
1 Then Job responded ,
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Then Job answered and said:
2 "Truly then you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!
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"No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.
3 "But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?
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But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?
4 "I am a joke to my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and blameless man is a joke.
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I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called to God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.
5 "He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.
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In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip.
6 "The tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure, Whom God brings into their power.
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The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand.
7 "But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.
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"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
8 "Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you.
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or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9 "Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this,
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Who among 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 ?
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In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
11 "Does not the ear test words, As the palate tastes its food?
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Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food?
12 "Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding.
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Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.
13 "With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding.
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"With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
14 "Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
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If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.
15 "Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.
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If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
16 "With Him are strength and sound wisdom, The misled and the misleader belong to Him.
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With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 "He makes counselors walk barefoot And makes fools of judges.
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He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools.
18 "He loosens the bond of kings And binds their loins with a girdle.
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He looses the bonds of kings and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
19 "He makes priests walk barefoot And overthrows the secure ones.
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He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty.
20 "He deprives the trusted ones of speech And takes away the discernment of the elders.
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He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 "He pours contempt on nobles And loosens the belt of the strong.
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He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
22 "He reveals mysteries from the darkness And brings the deep darkness into light.
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He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.
23 "He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
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He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away.
24 "He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people And makes them wander in a pathless waste.
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He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a pathless waste.
25 "They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
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They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California. All rights reserved.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.