XII. And Job answered and said,

2  aNo doubt but ye are bthe people,

And wisdom shall die with you.

3  But I have * understanding as well as you;

* I am not inferior to you:

Yea, * who knoweth not such things as these?

4  I am as one cmocked of his neighbour,

Who dcalleth upon God, and he answereth him:

The just upright man is laughed to scorn.

5  He that is eready to slip with his feet

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

6  fThe tabernacles of robbers prosper,

And they that provoke God are secure;

Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

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

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

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

And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

9  Who knoweth not in all these

That the hand of the gLord hath wrought hthis?

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

And kthe breath of * all mankind.

11  Doth not lthe ear try words?

And the * mouth taste his meat?

12  With the mancient is wisdom;

And in length of days understanding.

13  * nWith him is wisdom and strength,

He hath counsel and ounderstanding.

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

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

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

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

16  With him is strength and swisdom:

The deceived and the deceiver are his.

17  He leadeth counsellers away tspoiled,

And umaketh the judges fools.

18  He xlooseth the bond of kings,

And girdeth their loins with a girdle.

19  He leadeth yprinces away tspoiled,

And overthroweth the mighty.

20  zHe removeth away * the speech of the trusty,

And ataketh away the understanding of the aged.

21  bHe poureth contempt upon princes,

And * weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

22  cHe discovereth deep things out of darkness,

And bringeth out to light dthe shadow of death.

23  eHe increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them:

He enlargeth the nations, and * straiteneth them again.

24  zHe 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.

25  hThey grope in the dark without light,

And he maketh them to * stagger ilike a drunken man.