Job 12–13

12And Job answered and said,

^2aNo doubt but ye are ^bthe people,

And wisdom shall die with you.

³But I have ^†understanding as well as you;

^†I am not inferior to you:

Yea, ^†who knoweth not such things as these?

⁴I am as one ^cmocked of his neighbour,

Who ^dcalleth upon God, and he answereth him:

The just upright man is laughed to scorn.

⁵He that is ^eready to slip with his feet

Is as a lamp despised in the thought of ^eehim that is at ease.

^6fThe tabernacles of robbers prosper,

And they that provoke God are secure;

Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

⁷But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;

And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

⁸Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee:

And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

⁹Who knoweth not in all these

That the hand of the ^gLord hath wrought ^hthis?

¹⁰ⁱIn whose hand is the ^||soul ^jof every living thing,

And ^kthe breath of ^†all mankind.

¹¹Doth not ^lthe ear try words?

And the ^†mouth taste his meat?

¹²With the ^mancient is wisdom;

And in length of days understanding.

^13||nWith him is wisdom and strength,

He hath counsel and ^ounderstanding.

¹⁴Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again:

He ^pshutteth ^†up a man, and there can be no opening.

¹⁵Behold, he ^qwithholdeth the waters, and they dry up:

Also ^rhe sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

¹⁶With him is strength and ^swisdom:

The deceived and the deceiver are his.

¹⁷He leadeth counsellers away ^tspoiled,

And ^umaketh the judges fools.

¹⁸He ^xlooseth the bond of kings,

And girdeth their loins with a girdle.

¹⁹He leadeth ^yprinces away ^tspoiled,

And overthroweth the mighty.

^20zHe removeth away ^†the speech of the trusty,

And ^ataketh away the understanding of the aged.

^21bHe poureth contempt upon princes,

And ^||weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

^22cHe discovereth deep things out of darkness,

And bringeth out to light ^dthe shadow of death.

^23eHe increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them:

He enlargeth the nations, and ^†straiteneth them again.

^24zHe taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth,

And ^fcauseth them to wander in ^ga wilderness where there is no way.

^25hThey grope in the dark without light,

And he maketh them to ^†stagger ⁱlike a drunken man.

13Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,

Mine ear hath heard and understood it.

²What ye know, the same do I know also:

^aI am not inferior unto you.

^3bSurely I would speak to the Almighty,

And I desire to ^creason with God.

⁴But ye are ^dforgers of lies,

^eYe are all physicians ^fof no value.

⁵O that ye would altogether ^ghold your peace!

And it should be your wisdom.

⁶Hear now my ^hreasoning,

And hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷Will ye speak ⁱwickedly for God?

And talk ⁱdeceitfully for him?

⁸Will ye ^kaccept his person?

Will ye ^lcontend for God?

^9mIs it good that he should ⁿsearch you out?

Or as one man ^omocketh another, do ye so mock him?

¹⁰He will surely ^creprove you,

If ye do secretly ^kaccept persons.

¹¹Shall not his ^pexcellency make you afraid?

And his dread fall upon you?

¹²Your ^qremembrances are ^rlike unto ^sashes,

Your bodies to bodies of clay.

^13†Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak,

And let ^tcome on me ^uwhat will.

¹⁴Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth,

And ^xput my life in mine hand?

^15yThough he slay me, yet will I ^ztrust in him:

But I will ^†maintain mine own ways ^abefore him.

¹⁶He also shall be my salvation:

For an hypocrite shall not come before him.

^17aaHear diligently my speech,

And my ^bdeclaration with your ears.

¹⁸Behold now, I have ^cordered my cause;

I know that I shall be justified.

^19dWho is he that will plead with me?

For now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.

²⁰Only do not two things unto me:

Then ^ewill I not hide myself from thee.

^21fWithdraw thine hand far from me:

And ^flet not thy dread make me afraid.

^22gThen call thou, and I will answer:

Or let me speak, and ^hanswer thou me.

²³How many are mine iniquities and sins?

Make ⁱme to know my transgression and my sin.

^24jWherefore hidest thou thy face,

And ^kholdest me for thine enemy?

²⁵Wilt thou break ^la leaf driven to and fro?

And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

²⁶For thou ^mwritest bitter things against me,

And makest me to possess ⁿthe iniquities of my youth.

^27oThou puttest my feet also in the stocks,

And ^†lookest narrowly unto all my paths;

Thou ^psettest a print upon the ^†heels of my feet.

²⁸And he, as a ^qrotten thing, consumeth,

As a garment that is ^rmoth eaten.