| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1Then Job answered and said: | 1Then Job replied: |
| 2“No doubt you are the people, And wisdom will die with you! | 2"Doubtless you are the only people who matter, 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? | 3But I have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things? |
| 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 have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God and he answered-- a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless! |
| 5A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease; It is made ready for those whose feet slip. | 5Those who are at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping. |
| 6The tents of robbers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure— In what God provides by His hand. | 6The tents of marauders are undisturbed, and those who provoke God are secure-- those God has in his hand. |
| 7“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; | 7"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; |
| 8Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. | 8or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. |
| 9Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, | 9Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? |
| 10In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? | 10In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. |
| 11Does not the ear test words And the mouth taste its food? | 11Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food? |
| 12Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding. | 12Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? |
| 13“With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding. | 13"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. |
| 14If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; If He imprisons a man, there can be no release. | 14What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; those he imprisons cannot be released. |
| 15If He withholds the waters, they dry up; If He sends them out, they overwhelm the earth. | 15If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land. |
| 16With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His. | 16To him belong strength and insight; both deceived and deceiver are his. |
| 17He leads counselors away plundered, And makes fools of the judges. | 17He leads rulers away stripped and makes fools of judges. |
| 18He loosens the bonds of kings, And binds their waist with a belt. | 18He takes off the shackles put on by kings and ties a loincloth around their waist. |
| 19He leads princes away plundered, And overthrows the mighty. | 19He leads priests away stripped and overthrows officials long established. |
| 20He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders. | 20He silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of elders. |
| 21He pours contempt on princes, And disarms the mighty. | 21He pours contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty. |
| 22He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light. | 22He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light. |
| 23He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. | 23He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them. |
| 24He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. | 24He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he makes them wander in a trackless waste. |
| 25They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man. | 25They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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