Chapter 12. Then job answered and said No doubt you are the people and wisdom Will die with you But I have understanding as well as you I am not inferior to you Indeed who does not know such things as These I am one mocked by his friends who Called on God and he answered him the Just and blameless who is ridiculed A lump is despised in the thought of one Who is at ease it is made ready for Those whose feet slip The tents of robbers prosper and those Who provoke God are secure In what God provides by his hand But now ask the beasts and they will Teach you And the birds of the air and they will Tell you Or speak to the Earth And it will teach you and the fish of The sea will explain to you Who among all these does not know that The hand of the Lord has done this In whose hand is the life of every Living thing and the breath of all Mankind Does not the ear test words and the Mouth tastes its food Wisdom is with aged men and with length Of days understanding With him our wisdom and strength
He has counsel and understanding If he breaks a thing down it cannot be Rebuilt If he imprisons a man there can be no Release If he withholds the waters they dry up If he sends them out they overwhelm the Earth With him our strength and prudence The deceived and the deceiver are his He leads counselors away plundered and Makes fools of the judges He loosens the bonds of kings and binds Their waste with a belt He leads princes away plundered and Overthrows the mighty He deprives The Trusted ones of speech And takes away the discernment of the Elders He pours contempt on princes and disarms The mighty He uncovers deep things out of darkness And brings the shadow of death to light He makes Nations great And destroys them He enlarges Nations and guides them He takes away the understanding of the Chiefs of the people of the Earth And makes them wander in a pathless Wilderness They grope in the dark without light And he makes them stagger like a drunken Man