Online Bible

Job Chides His Accusers

Then Job ¹responded,

2 “Truly then ^ayou are the people,And with you wisdom will die!3 “But ^aI have intelligence as well as you;I am not inferior to you.And ¹who does not know such things as these?4 “I am a ^ajoke to ¹my friends,The one who called on God and He answered him;The just and ^bblameless man is a joke.5 “¹He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt,As prepared for those whose feet slip.6 “The ^atents of the destroyers prosper,And those who provoke God ^bare secure,¹Whom God brings ^cinto their power.

7 “But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.8 “Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;And let the fish of the sea declare to you.9 “Who among all these does not knowThat ^athe hand of the LORD has done this,10 ^aIn whose hand is the life of every living thing,And ^bthe breath of all mankind?11 “Does not ^athe ear test words,As the palate ¹tastes its food?12 “Wisdom is with ^aaged men,With ¹long life is understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God

13 “With Him are ^awisdom and ^bmight;To Him belong counsel and ^cunderstanding.14 “Behold, He ^atears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;He ¹^bimprisons a man, and ²there can be no release.15 “Behold, He ^arestrains the waters, and they dry up;And He ^bsends them out, and they ¹inundate the earth.16 “With Him are strength and sound wisdom,The ^amisled and the misleader belong to Him.17 “He makes ^acounselors walk ¹barefootAnd makes fools of ^bjudges.18 “He ^aloosens the ¹bond of kingsAnd binds their loins with a girdle.19 “He makes priests walk ¹barefootAnd overthrows ^athe secure ones.20 “He deprives the trusted ones of speechAnd ^atakes away the discernment of the elders.21 “He ^apours contempt on noblesAnd ^bloosens the belt of the strong.22 “He ^areveals mysteries from the darknessAnd brings the deep darkness into light.23 “He ^amakes the nations great, then destroys them;He ¹enlarges the nations, then leads them away.24 “He ^adeprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s peopleAnd makes them wander in a pathless waste.25 “They ^agrope in darkness with no light,And He makes them ^bstagger like a drunken man.

Job Chides His Accusers

Then Job responded,

2 “Truly then ^ayou are the people,And with you wisdom will die!3 “But ^aI have intelligence as well as you;I am not inferior to you.And ¹who does not know such things as these?4 “I am a ^ajoke to ¹my friends,The one who called on God and He answered him;The just and ^bblameless man is a joke.5 “¹He who is at ease holds disaster in contempt,As prepared for those whose feet slip.6 “The ^atents of the destroyers prosper,And those who provoke God ^bare secure,¹Whom God brings ^cinto their power.

7 “But just ask the animals, and have them teach you;And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you.8 “Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you;And have the fish of the sea tell you.9 “Who among all these does not knowThat ^athe hand of the LORD has done this,10 ^aIn whose hand is the life of every living thing,And ^bthe breath of all mankind?11 “Does ^athe ear not put words to the test,As the palate ¹tastes its food?12 “Wisdom is with the ^aaged,And with ¹long life comes understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God

13 “^aWisdom and ^bmight are with Him;Advice and ^cunderstanding belong to Him.14 “Behold, He ^atears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;He ¹^bimprisons a person, and ²there is no release.15 “Behold, He ^arestrains the waters, and they dry up;And He ^bsends them out, and they ¹inundate the earth.16 “Strength and sound wisdom are with Him.One who ^agoes astray and one who leads astray belong to Him.17 “He makes ^aadvisers walk ¹barefootAnd makes fools of ^bjudges.18 “He ^aundoes the binding of kings,And ties a loincloth around their waist.19 “He makes priests walk ¹barefoot,And overthrows ^athe secure ones.20 “He deprives the trusted ones of speech,And ^atakes away the discernment of the elders.21 “He ^apours contempt on nobles,And ^bloosens the belt of the strong.22 “He ^areveals mysteries from the darkness,And brings the deep darkness into light.23 “He ^amakes the nations great, then destroys them;He ¹enlarges the nations, then leads them away.24 “He ^adeprives the leaders of the earth’s people of ¹intelligenceAnd makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.25 “They ^agrope in darkness with no light,And He makes them ^bstagger like a drunken person.