| New King James 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. Indeed, 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? |
| 4“I am one mocked by his friends, Who called on God, and He answered him, The just and blameless who is ridiculed. | 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. |
| 5A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease; It is made 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 prosper, And those who provoke God are secure— In what God provides by His hand. | 6But robbers are left in peace, and those who provoke God live in safety— though God keeps them in his power. |
| 7“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, 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 speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain 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 whose 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 And the mouth taste its food? | 11The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods. |
| 12Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding. | 12Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. |
| 13“With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding. | 13“But true wisdom and power are found in God; 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 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 earth. | 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 prudence. 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 plundered, And makes fools of the judges. | 17He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools. |
| 18He loosens the bonds of kings, And binds their waist with a belt. | 18He removes the royal robe of kings. They are led away with ropes around their waist. |
| 19He leads princes away plundered, And overthrows the mighty. | 19He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power. |
| 20He deprives the trusted ones of speech, 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 disarms the mighty. | 21He pours disgrace upon princes and disarms the strong. |
| 22He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light. | 22“He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom. |
| 23He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. | 23He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them. |
| 24He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. | 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. 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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