Job 12

New American Standard Bible 1995

Job Chides His Accusers

1Then Job 1responded,2“Truly then 2you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!3But 3I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And 4who does not know such things as these?4I am a 5joke to 6my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and 7blameless man is a joke.5 8He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.6The 9tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God 10are secure, 11Whom God brings 12into their power.

7“But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.8Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you.9Who among all these does not know That 13the hand of the Lord has done this,10 14In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And 15the breath of all mankind?11Does not 16the ear test words, As the palate 17tastes its food?12Wisdom is with 18aged men, With 19long life is understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God

13“With Him are 20wisdom and 21might; To Him belong counsel and 22understanding.14Behold, He 23tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He 24 25imprisons a man, and 26there can be no release.15Behold, He 27restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He 28sends them out, and they 29inundate the earth.16With Him are strength and sound wisdom, The 30misled and the misleader belong to Him.17He makes 31counselors walk 32barefoot And makes fools of 33judges.18He 34loosens the 35bond of kings And binds their loins with a girdle.19He makes priests walk 36barefoot And overthrows 37the secure ones.20He deprives the trusted ones of speech And 38takes away the discernment of the elders.21He 39pours contempt on nobles And 40loosens the belt of the strong.22He 41reveals mysteries from the darkness And brings the deep darkness into light.23He 42makes the nations great, then destroys them; He 43enlarges the nations, then leads them away.24He 44deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people And makes them wander in a pathless waste.25They 45grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them 46stagger like a drunken man.

Notes

1. Job 12:1 Lit answered and said ↩
2. Job 12:2 Job 17:10 ↩
3. Job 12:3 Job 13:2 ↩
4. Job 12:3 Lit with whom is there not like these? ↩
5. Job 12:4 Job 17:6; 30:1, 9, 10; 34:7 ↩
6. Job 12:4 Lit his ↩
7. Job 12:4 Job 6:29 ↩
8. Job 12:5 Lit Contempt for calamity is the thought of him who is at ease ↩
9. Job 12:6 Job 9:24; 21:7-9 ↩
10. Job 12:6 Job 24:23 ↩
11. Job 12:6 Or He who brings God into his hand ↩
12. Job 12:6 Job 22:18 ↩
13. Job 12:9 Is 41:20 ↩
14. Job 12:10 Acts 17:28 ↩
15. Job 12:10 Job 27:3; 33:4 ↩
16. Job 12:11 Job 34:3 ↩
17. Job 12:11 Lit tastes food for itself ↩
18. Job 12:12 Job 15:10; 32:7 ↩
19. Job 12:12 Lit length of days ↩
20. Job 12:13 Job 9:4 ↩
21. Job 12:13 Job 9:4 ↩
22. Job 12:13 Job 11:6; 26:12; 32:8; 36:5; 38:36 ↩
23. Job 12:14 Job 19:10; Is 25:2 ↩
24. Job 12:14 Lit shuts against ↩
25. Job 12:14 Job 37:7 ↩
26. Job 12:14 Lit it is not opened ↩
27. Job 12:15 Deut 11:17; 1 Kin 8:35; 17:1 ↩
28. Job 12:15 Gen 7:11-24 ↩
29. Job 12:15 Lit overturn ↩
30. Job 12:16 Job 13:7, 9 ↩
31. Job 12:17 Job 3:14 ↩
32. Job 12:17 Or stripped ↩
33. Job 12:17 Job 9:24 ↩
34. Job 12:18 Ps 116:16 ↩
35. Job 12:18 Or discipline ↩
36. Job 12:19 Or stripped ↩
37. Job 12:19 Job 24:22; 34:24-28; 35:9 ↩
38. Job 12:20 Job 17:4; 32:9 ↩
39. Job 12:21 Job 34:19; Ps 107:40 ↩
40. Job 12:21 Job 12:18 ↩
41. Job 12:22 Dan 2:22; 1 Cor 4:5 ↩
42. Job 12:23 Is 9:3; 26:15 ↩
43. Job 12:23 Or spreads out ↩
44. Job 12:24 Job 12:20 ↩
45. Job 12:25 Job 5:14 ↩
46. Job 12:25 Is 24:20 ↩

Job Chides His Accusers

Job Speaks of the Power of God

Notes

Commentaries on Job 12