| Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then Job answered: | 1Then Job spoke again: |
| 2No 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 also have a mind like you; I am not inferior to you. Who doesn't know the things you are talking about? | 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, by calling on God, who answers me. The righteous and upright man is 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. |
| 5The one who is at ease holds calamity in contempt and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping. | 5People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling. |
| 6The tents of robbers are safe, and those who trouble God are secure; God holds them in his hands. | 6But robbers are left in peace, and those who provoke God live in safety— though God keeps them in his power. |
| 7But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the sky, 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 instruct you; let the fish of the sea inform you. | 8Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you. |
| 9Which of 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. |
| 10The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all mankind. | 10For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being. |
| 11Doesn't 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 found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life. | 12Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. |
| 13Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are his. | 13“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his. |
| 14Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt; whoever he imprisons cannot be released. | 14What he destroys cannot be rebuilt. When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape. |
| 15When he withholds water, everything dries up, and when he releases it, it destroys the land. | 15If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth. |
| 16True wisdom and power belong to him. 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 barefoot and makes judges go mad. | 17He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools. |
| 18He releases the bonds put on by kings and fastens a belt around their waists. | 18He removes the royal robe of kings. They are led away with ropes around their waist. |
| 19He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows established leaders. | 19He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power. |
| 20He deprives trusted advisers of speech and takes away the elders' good judgment. | 20He silences the trusted adviser and removes the insight of the elders. |
| 21He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the strong. | 21He pours disgrace upon princes and disarms the strong. |
| 22He reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deepest darkness into the light. | 22“He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom. |
| 23He makes nations great, then destroys them; he enlarges nations, then leads them away. | 23He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them. |
| 24He deprives the world's leaders of reason, and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. | 24He strips kings of understanding and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland. |
| 25They grope around in darkness without light; he makes them stagger like a drunkard. | 25They grope in the darkness without a light. He makes them stagger like drunkards. |
| The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | 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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