Job 12–13

¹And Job answereth and saith:— ²Truly—ye are the people, And with you doth wisdom die. ³I also have a heart like you, I am not fallen more than you, And with whom is there not like these? ⁴A laughter to his friend I am: ‘He calleth to God, and He answereth him,’ A laughter is the perfect righteous one. ⁵A torch—despised in the thoughts of the secure Is prepared for those sliding with the feet.

⁶At peace are the tents of spoilers, And those provoking God have confidence, He into whose hand God hath brought. ⁷And yet, ask, I pray thee, One of the beasts, and it doth shew thee, And a fowl of the heavens, And it doth declare to thee. ⁸Or talk to the earth, and it sheweth thee, And fishes of the sea recount to thee: ⁹‘Who hath not known in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath done this? ¹⁰In whose hand is the breath of every living thing, And the spirit of all flesh of man.’ ¹¹Doth not the ear try words? And the palate taste food for itself?

¹²With the very aged is wisdom, And with length of days understanding. ¹³With Him are wisdom and might, To him are counsel and understanding. ¹⁴Lo, He breaketh down, and it is not built up, He shutteth against a man, And it is not opened. ¹⁵Lo, He keepeth in the waters, and they are dried up, And he sendeth them forth, And they overturn the land. ¹⁶With Him are strength and wisdom, His the deceived and deceiver. ¹⁷Causing counsellors to go away a spoil, And judges He maketh foolish. ¹⁸The bands of kings He hath opened, And He bindeth a girdle on their loins. ¹⁹Causing ministers to go away a spoil And strong ones He overthroweth. ²⁰Turning aside the lip of the stedfast, And the reason of the aged He taketh away. ²¹Pouring contempt upon princes, And the girdle of the mighty He made feeble. ²²Removing deep things out of darkness, And He bringeth out to light death-shade. ²³Magnifying the nations, and He destroyeth them, Spreading out the nations, and He quieteth them. ²⁴Turning aside the heart Of the heads of the people of the land, And he causeth them to wander In vacancy—no way! ²⁵They feel darkness, and not light, He causeth them to wander as a drunkard.

Chapter 13

¹Lo, all—hath mine eye seen, Heard hath mine ear, and it attendeth to it. ²According to your knowledge I have known—also I. I am not fallen more than you. ³Yet I for the Mighty One do speak, And to argue for God I delight. ⁴And yet, ye are forgers of falsehood, Physicians of nought—all of you, ⁵O that ye would keep perfectly silent, And it would be to you for wisdom. ⁶Hear, I pray you, my argument, And to the pleadings of my lips attend, ⁷For God do ye speak perverseness? And for Him do ye speak deceit? ⁸His face do ye accept, if for God ye strive? ⁹Is it good that He doth search you, If, as one mocketh at a man, ye mock at Him? ¹⁰He doth surely reprove you, if in secret ye accept faces. ¹¹Doth not His excellency terrify you? And His dread fall upon you? ¹²Your remembrances are similes of ashes, For high places of clay your heights.

¹³Keep silent from me, and I speak, And pass over me doth what? ¹⁴Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? And my soul put in my hand? ¹⁵Lo, He doth slay me—I wait not! Only, my ways unto His face I argue. ¹⁶Also—He is to me for salvation, For the profane cometh not before Him. ¹⁷Hear ye diligently my word, And my declaration with your ears. ¹⁸Lo, I pray you, I have set in order the cause, I have known that I am righteous. ¹⁹Who is he that doth strive with me? For now I keep silent and gasp. ²⁰Only two things, O God, do with me: Then from Thy face I am not hidden. ²¹Thy hand put far off from me, And Thy terror let not terrify me. ²²And call Thou, and I—I answer, Or—I speak, and answer Thou me.

²³How many iniquities and sins have I? My transgression and my sin let me know. ²⁴Why dost Thou hide Thy face? And reckonest me for an enemy to Thee? ²⁵A leaf driven away dost Thou terrify? And the dry stubble dost Thou pursue? ²⁶For Thou writest against me bitter things, And causest me to possess iniquities of my youth: ²⁷And puttest in the stocks my feet, And observest all my paths, On the roots of my feet Thou settest a print, ²⁸And he, as a rotten thing, weareth away, As a garment hath a moth consumed him.

Chapter 14