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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Job 12 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/job/12.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" 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title="Job 11">◄</a> Job 12 <a href="../job/13.htm" title="Job 13">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/job/12.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Job Replies: The <span class="divine-name">Lord</span> Has Done This</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Then Job answered and said:</p> <span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">“No doubt you are the people,</span><br /><span class="indent">and wisdom will die with you.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">But I have understanding as well as you;</span><br /><span class="indent">I am not inferior to you.</span><br /><span class="indent">Who does not know such things as these?</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">I am a laughingstock to my friends;</span><br /><span class="indent">I, who called to God and he answered me,</span><br /><span class="indent">a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;</span><br /><span class="indent">it is ready for those whose feet slip.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The tents of robbers are at peace,</span><br /><span class="indent">and those who provoke God are secure,</span><br /><span class="indent">who bring their god in their hand.<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain">a</a></sup></span></span></p> <p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;</span><br /><span class="indent">the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or or speak to the earth, and it will teach you">b</a></sup></span></span><br /><span class="indent">and the fish of the sea will declare to you.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Who among all these does not know</span><br /><span class="indent">that the hand of the <span class="divine-name">Lord</span> has done this?</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">In his hand is the life of every living thing</span><br /><span class="indent">and the breath of all mankind.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Does not the ear test words</span><br /><span class="indent">as the palate tastes food?</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Wisdom is with the aged,</span><br /><span class="indent">and understanding in length of days.</span></p> <p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">“With God<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew him">c</a></sup></span> are wisdom and might;</span><br /><span class="indent">he has counsel and understanding.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">If he tears down, none can rebuild;</span><br /><span class="indent">if he shuts a man in, none can open.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">If he withholds the waters, they dry up;</span><br /><span class="indent">if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">With him are strength and sound wisdom;</span><br /><span class="indent">the deceived and the deceiver are his.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He leads counselors away stripped,</span><br /><span class="indent">and judges he makes fools.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He looses the bonds of kings</span><br /><span class="indent">and binds a waistcloth on their hips.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He leads priests away stripped</span><br /><span class="indent">and overthrows the mighty.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He deprives of speech those who are trusted</span><br /><span class="indent">and takes away the discernment of the elders.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He pours contempt on princes</span><br /><span class="indent">and loosens the belt of the strong.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He uncovers the deeps out of darkness</span><br /><span class="indent">and brings deep darkness to light.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He makes nations great, and he destroys them;</span><br /><span class="indent">he enlarges nations, and leads them away.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth</span><br /><span class="indent">and makes them wander in a trackless waste.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/12-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">They grope in the dark without light,</span><br /><span class="indent">and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.</span></p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">6</span> The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain<br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">8</span> Or <i>or speak to the earth, and it will teach you</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">13</span> Hebrew <i>him</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 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