Study Desk

Then Job responded,

And Job answered and said,

"Truly then you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!

No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

"But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?

But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

"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.

I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.

"He who is at ease holds disaster in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.

He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

"The tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure, Whom God brings into their power.

The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

"But just ask the animals, and have them teach you; And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

"Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you; And have the fish of the sea tell you.

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

"Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this,

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?

In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

"Does the ear not put words to the test, As the palate tastes its food?

Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?

"Wisdom is with the aged, And with long life comes understanding.

With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.

"Wisdom and might are with Him; Advice and understanding belong to Him.

With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

"Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He imprisons a person, and there is no release.

Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

"Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.

Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

"Strength and sound wisdom are with Him. One who goes astray and one who leads astray belong to Him.

With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

"He makes advisers walk barefoot And makes fools of judges.

He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.

"He undoes the binding of kings, And ties a loincloth around their waist.

He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.

"He makes priests walk barefoot, And overthrows the secure ones.

He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.

"He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.

He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.

"He pours contempt on nobles, And loosens the belt of the strong.

He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

"He reveals mysteries from the darkness, And brings the deep darkness into light.

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

"He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.

"He deprives the leaders of the earth's people of intelligence And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.

He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

"They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken person.

They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.