| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Then Job answered and said: | 1Then Job spoke again: |
| 2“No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you. | 2“You people really know everything, don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you! |
| 3But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? | 3Well, I know a few things myself— and you’re no better than I am. Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying? |
| 4I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called to God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock. | 4Yet my friends laugh at me, for I call on God and expect an answer. I am a just and blameless man, yet they laugh at me. |
| 5In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip. | 5People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling. |
| 6The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand. | 6But robbers are left in peace, and those who provoke God live in safety— though God keeps them in his power. |
| 7“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; | 7“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. |
| 8or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. | 8Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you. |
| 9Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? | 9For they all know that my disaster has come from the hand of the LORD. |
| 10In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. | 10For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being. |
| 11Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food? | 11The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods. |
| 12Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. | 12Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. |
| 13“With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. | 13“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his. |
| 14If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. | 14What he destroys cannot be rebuilt. When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape. |
| 15If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. | 15If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth. |
| 16With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his. | 16Yes, strength and wisdom are his; deceivers and deceived are both in his power. |
| 17He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools. | 17He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools. |
| 18He looses the bonds of kings and binds a waistcloth on their hips. | 18He removes the royal robe of kings. They are led away with ropes around their waist. |
| 19He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty. | 19He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power. |
| 20He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders. | 20He silences the trusted adviser and removes the insight of the elders. |
| 21He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong. | 21He pours disgrace upon princes and disarms the strong. |
| 22He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light. | 22“He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom. |
| 23He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. | 23He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them. |
| 24He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a trackless waste. | 24He strips kings of understanding and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland. |
| 25They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man. | 25They grope in the darkness without a light. He makes them stagger like drunkards. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, 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. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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