| New King James Version | International Standard Version |
| 1Then Job answered and said: | 1In response Job replied: |
| 2“No doubt you are the people, And wisdom will die with you! | 2"Truly, you are the people and wisdom will die with you! |
| 3But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these? | 3Like you, I also have understanding. I'm not inferior to you; who doesn't know things like this?" |
| 4“I am one mocked by his friends, Who called on God, and He answered him, The just and blameless who is ridiculed. | 4"I'm a laughingstock to my friends, someone who called on God. But then he answered this upright and blameless man, and I have become a laughingstock. |
| 5A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease; It is made ready for those whose feet slip. | 5The carefree are thinking, 'I have contempt for misfortune,' Those who are about to stumble deserve it. |
| 6The tents of robbers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure— In what God provides by His hand. | 6The tents of robbers are at rest, and those who provoke God are secure, that is, those who carry their god in their pocket. |
| 7“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; | 7"Ask the wild animals, and they'll teach you; the birds of the sky will tell you. |
| 8Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. | 8Or ask the green plants of the earth and they'll teach you; let the fish in the sea tell you. |
| 9Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, | 9Who among all of these doesn't know that the LORD's hand made them, |
| 10In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? | 10and that the life of every living thing rests in his control, along with the breath of every living human being? |
| 11Does not the ear test words And the mouth taste its food? | 11The ear scrutinizes speech just as the palate tastes food." |
| 12Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding. | 12"Wisdom may be found in the company of the aged. Understanding comes with longevity. |
| 13“With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding. | 13With God is wisdom and strength; counsel and understanding belongs to him. |
| 14If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; If He imprisons a man, there can be no release. | 14When he tears down, nobody rebuilds; when he incarcerates, nobody escapes. |
| 15If He withholds the waters, they dry up; If He sends them out, they overwhelm the earth. | 15When he withholds water, rivers dry up; when he lets them loose, they'll flood the land. |
| 16With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His. | 16"With God are strength and sound wisdom; both the deceived and those who deceive are responsible to him. |
| 17He leads counselors away plundered, And makes fools of the judges. | 17He leads counselors away naked; he turns judges into fools. |
| 18He loosens the bonds of kings, And binds their waist with a belt. | 18He strips away the authority of kings to punish and puts them in prison clothes instead. |
| 19He leads princes away plundered, And overthrows the mighty. | 19He leads away the priests naked and overthrows the ruling class. |
| 20He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders. | 20He keeps reliable advisors from speaking, and removes discernment from elders. |
| 21He pours contempt on princes, And disarms the mighty. | 21He pours contempt on nobles and embarrasses the mighty. |
| 22He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light. | 22He uncovers the hidden dimensions from darkness, bringing what is in deep shadow to light. |
| 23He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. | 23He makes nations great, and then destroys them; he enlarges nations, but then sends them away to captivity. |
| 24He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. | 24He withdraws understanding from national leaders of the world, causing them to wander through uncharted wilderness. |
| 25They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man. | 25They grope in the dark without light; he causes them to stagger around like a drunkard." |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
|
