Job
1-2 Yes, you are the voice of the people.
When you die, wisdom will die with you.
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 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 You have no troubles, and yet you make fun of me;
you hit someone who is about to fall.
6 But thieves and godless people live in peace,
though their only god is their own strength.
7 Even birds and animals have much they could teach you;
8 ask the creatures of earth and sea for their wisdom.
9 All of them know that the Lord's hand made them.
10 It is God who directs the lives of his creatures;
everyone's life is in his power.
11 But just as your tongue enjoys tasting food,
your ears enjoy hearing words.
12-13 Old people have wisdom,
but God has wisdom and power.
Old people have insight;
God has insight and power to act.
14 When God tears down, who can rebuild,
and who can free those God imprisons?
15 Drought comes when God withholds rain;
floods come when he turns water loose.
16 God is strong and always victorious;
both deceived and deceiver are in his power.
17 He takes away the wisdom of rulers
and makes leaders act like fools.
18 He dethrones kings and makes them prisoners;
19 he humbles priests and men of power.
20 He silences those who are trusted,
and takes the wisdom of old people away.
21 He disgraces those in power
and puts an end to the strength of rulers.
22 He sends light to places dark as death.
23 He makes nations strong and great,
but then he defeats and destroys them.
24 He makes their leaders foolish
and lets them wander confused and lost;
25 they grope in the dark and stagger like drunkards.
1 Then Iob answered, and sayde, 2 In deede because that ye are the people onely, wisedome must dye with you. 3 But I haue vnderstanding aswel as you, and am not inferior vnto you: yea, who knoweth not such things? 4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth vpon God, and he heareth him: the iust and the vpright is laughed to scorne. 5 Hee that is readie to fall, is as a lampe despised in the opinion of the riche. 6 The tabernacles of robbers doe prosper, and they are in safetie, that prouoke God, whome God hath enriched with his hand. 7 Aske now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, and the foules of the heauen, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or speake to the earth, and it shall shewe thee: or the fishes of the sea, and they shall declare vnto thee. 9 Who is ignorant of all these, but that the hande of the Lord hath made these? 10 In whose hande is the soule of euery liuing thing, and the breath of all mankinde. 11 Doeth not the eares discerne the words? and the mouth taste meate for it selfe? 12 Among the ancient is wisedome, and in the length of dayes is vnderstanding. 13 With him is wisedome and strength: he hath counsell and vnderstanding. 14 Beholde, he will breake downe, and it can not be built: he shutteth a man vp, and he can not be loosed. 15 Beholde, he withholdeth the waters, and they drie vp: but when he sendeth them out, they destroy the earth. 16 With him is strength and wisedome: hee that is deceiued, and that deceiueth, are his. 17 He causeth the counsellers to goe as spoyled, and maketh the iudges fooles. 18 He looseth the collar of Kings, and girdeth their loynes with a girdle. 19 He leadeth away the princes as a pray, and ouerthroweth the mightie. 20 He taketh away the speach from the faithfull counsellers, and taketh away the iudgement of the ancient. 21 He powreth contempt vpon princes, and maketh the strength of the mightie weake. 22 He discouereth the deepe places from their darkenesse, and bringeth foorth the shadowe of death to light. 23 He increaseth the people, and destroyeth them: he inlargeth the nations, and bringeth them in againe. 24 He taketh away the heartes of the that are the chiefe ouer the people of the earth, and maketh them to wander in the wildernes out of the way. 25 They grope in the darke without light: and he maketh the to stagger like a drunken man.