Job 11-12

Job 11

¹Then Zophar the Naamathite made answer and said,

²Are all these words to go unanswered? and is a man seen to be right because he is full of talk?

³Are your words of pride to make men keep quiet? and are you to make sport, with no one to put you to shame?

⁴You may say, My way is clean, and I am free from sin in your eyes.

⁵But if only God would take up the word, opening his lips in argument with you;

⁶And would make clear to you the secrets of wisdom, and the wonders of his purpose!

⁷Are you able to take God's measure, to make discovery of the limits of the Ruler of all?

⁸They are higher than heaven; what is there for you to do? deeper than the underworld, and outside your knowledge;

⁹Longer in measure than the earth, and wider than the sea.

¹⁰If he goes on his way, shutting a man up and putting him to death, who may make him go back from his purpose?

¹¹For in his eyes men are as nothing; he sees evil and takes note of it.

¹²And so a hollow-minded man will get wisdom, when a young ass of the field gets teaching.

¹³But if you put your heart right, stretching out your hands to him;

¹⁴If you put far away the evil of your hands, and let no wrongdoing have a place in your tent;

¹⁵Then truly your face will be lifted up, with no mark of sin, and you will be fixed in your place without fear:

¹⁶For your sorrow will go from your memory, like waters flowing away:

¹⁷And your life will be brighter than day; though it is dark, it will become like the morning.

¹⁸And you will be safe because there is hope; after looking round, you will take your rest in quiet;

¹⁹Sleeping with no fear of danger; and men will be desiring to have grace in your eyes;

²⁰But the eyes of the evil-doers will be wasting away; their way of flight is gone, and their only hope is the taking of their last breath.

Job 12

¹And Job made answer and said,

²No doubt you have knowledge, and wisdom will come to an end with you.

³But I have a mind as well as you; I am equal to you: yes, who has not knowledge of such things as these?

⁴It seems that I am to be as one who is a cause of laughing to his neighbour, one who makes his prayer to God and is answered! the upright man who has done no wrong is to be made sport of!

⁵In the thought of him who is in comfort there is no respect for one who is in trouble; such is the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

⁶There is wealth in the tents of those who make destruction, and those by whom God is moved to wrath are safe; even those whose god is their strength.

⁷But put now a question to the beasts, and get teaching from them; or to the birds of the heaven, and they will make it clear to you;

⁸Or to the things which go flat on the earth, and they will give you wisdom; and the fishes of the sea will give you news of it.

⁹Who does not see by all these that the hand of the Lord has done this?

¹⁰In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all flesh of man.

¹¹Are not words tested by the ear, even as food is tasted by the mouth?

¹²Old men have wisdom, and a long life gives knowledge.

¹³With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his.

¹⁴Truly, there is no building up of what is pulled down by him; when a man is shut up by him, no one may let him loose.

¹⁵Truly, he keeps back the waters and they are dry; he sends them out and the earth is overturned.

¹⁶With him are strength and wise designs; he who is guided into error, together with his guide, are in his hands;

¹⁷He takes away the wisdom of the wise guides, and makes judges foolish;

¹⁸He undoes the chains of kings, and puts his band on them;

¹⁹He makes priests prisoners, overturning those in safe positions;

²⁰He makes the words of responsible persons without effect, and takes away the good sense of the old;

²¹He puts shame on chiefs, and takes away the power of the strong;

²²Uncovering deep things out of the dark, and making the deep shade bright;

²³Increasing nations, and sending destruction on them; making wide the lands of peoples, and then giving them up.

²⁴He takes away the wisdom of the rulers of the earth, and sends them wandering in a waste where there is no way.

²⁵They go feeling about in the dark without light, wandering without help like those overcome with wine.