| New Living Translation | International Standard Version |
| 1Then Job spoke again: | 1In response Job replied: |
| 2“You people really know everything, don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you! | 2"Truly, you are the people and wisdom will die with you! |
| 3Well, I know a few things myself— and you’re no better than I am. Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying? | 3Like you, I also have understanding. I'm not inferior to you; who doesn't know things like this?" |
| 4Yet my friends laugh at me, for I call on God and expect an answer. I am a just and blameless man, yet they laugh at me. | 4"I'm a laughingstock to my friends, someone who called on God. But then he answered this upright and blameless man, and I have become a laughingstock. |
| 5People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling. | 5The carefree are thinking, 'I have contempt for misfortune,' Those who are about to stumble deserve it. |
| 6But robbers are left in peace, and those who provoke God live in safety— though God keeps them in his power. | 6The tents of robbers are at rest, and those who provoke God are secure, that is, those who carry their god in their pocket. |
| 7“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. | 7"Ask the wild animals, and they'll teach you; the birds of the sky will tell you. |
| 8Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you. | 8Or ask the green plants of the earth and they'll teach you; let the fish in the sea tell you. |
| 9For they all know that my disaster has come from the hand of the LORD. | 9Who among all of these doesn't know that the LORD's hand made them, |
| 10For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being. | 10and that the life of every living thing rests in his control, along with the breath of every living human being? |
| 11The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods. | 11The ear scrutinizes speech just as the palate tastes food." |
| 12Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. | 12"Wisdom may be found in the company of the aged. Understanding comes with longevity. |
| 13“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his. | 13With God is wisdom and strength; counsel and understanding belongs to him. |
| 14What he destroys cannot be rebuilt. When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape. | 14When he tears down, nobody rebuilds; when he incarcerates, nobody escapes. |
| 15If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth. | 15When he withholds water, rivers dry up; when he lets them loose, they'll flood the land. |
| 16Yes, strength and wisdom are his; deceivers and deceived are both in his power. | 16"With God are strength and sound wisdom; both the deceived and those who deceive are responsible to him. |
| 17He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools. | 17He leads counselors away naked; he turns judges into fools. |
| 18He removes the royal robe of kings. They are led away with ropes around their waist. | 18He strips away the authority of kings to punish and puts them in prison clothes instead. |
| 19He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power. | 19He leads away the priests naked and overthrows the ruling class. |
| 20He silences the trusted adviser and removes the insight of the elders. | 20He keeps reliable advisors from speaking, and removes discernment from elders. |
| 21He pours disgrace upon princes and disarms the strong. | 21He pours contempt on nobles and embarrasses the mighty. |
| 22“He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom. | 22He uncovers the hidden dimensions from darkness, bringing what is in deep shadow to light. |
| 23He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them. | 23He makes nations great, and then destroys them; he enlarges nations, but then sends them away to captivity. |
| 24He strips kings of understanding and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland. | 24He withdraws understanding from national leaders of the world, causing them to wander through uncharted wilderness. |
| 25They grope in the darkness without a light. He makes them stagger like drunkards. | 25They grope in the dark without light; he causes them to stagger around like a drunkard." |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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