Job's Reply to Zophar
You Think You Are So Great
* 1 Job said to his friends:
2 You think you are so great,
with all the answers.
3 But I know as much as you do,
and so does everyone else.
4 I have always lived right,
and God answered my prayers;
now friends make fun of me.
5 It's easy to condemn
those who are suffering,
when you have no troubles.
6 Robbers and other godless people
live safely at home and say,
“God is in our hands!”
If You Want To Learn
7 If you want to learn,
then go and ask
the wild animals and the birds,
8 the flowers and the fish.
9 Any of them can tell you
what the Lord has done.
10 Every living creature
is in the hands of God.
11 We hear with our ears,
taste with our tongues,
12 and gain some wisdom from those
who have lived a long time.
13 But God is the real source
of wisdom and strength.
14 No one can rebuild
what he destroys, or release
those he has imprisoned.
15 God can hold back the rain
or send a flood,
16 just as he rules over liars
and those they lie to.
17 God shames counselors,
turns judges into fools,
18 and makes slaves of kings.
19 God removes priests and others
who have great power—
20 he confuses wise,
experienced advisors,
21 puts mighty kings to shame,
and takes away their power.
22 God turns darkness to light;
23 he makes nations strong,
then shatters their strength.
24 God strikes their rulers senseless,
then leaves them to roam
through barren deserts,
25 lost in the dark, staggering
like someone drunk.
1 Then Iob answered, and sayde, 2 In deede because that ye are the people onely, wisedome must dye with you. 3 But I haue vnderstanding aswel as you, and am not inferior vnto you: yea, who knoweth not such things? 4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth vpon God, and he heareth him: the iust and the vpright is laughed to scorne. 5 Hee that is readie to fall, is as a lampe despised in the opinion of the riche. 6 The tabernacles of robbers doe prosper, and they are in safetie, that prouoke God, whome God hath enriched with his hand. 7 Aske now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, and the foules of the heauen, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or speake to the earth, and it shall shewe thee: or the fishes of the sea, and they shall declare vnto thee. 9 Who is ignorant of all these, but that the hande of the Lord hath made these? 10 In whose hande is the soule of euery liuing thing, and the breath of all mankinde. 11 Doeth not the eares discerne the words? and the mouth taste meate for it selfe? 12 Among the ancient is wisedome, and in the length of dayes is vnderstanding. 13 With him is wisedome and strength: he hath counsell and vnderstanding. 14 Beholde, he will breake downe, and it can not be built: he shutteth a man vp, and he can not be loosed. 15 Beholde, he withholdeth the waters, and they drie vp: but when he sendeth them out, they destroy the earth. 16 With him is strength and wisedome: hee that is deceiued, and that deceiueth, are his. 17 He causeth the counsellers to goe as spoyled, and maketh the iudges fooles. 18 He looseth the collar of Kings, and girdeth their loynes with a girdle. 19 He leadeth away the princes as a pray, and ouerthroweth the mightie. 20 He taketh away the speach from the faithfull counsellers, and taketh away the iudgement of the ancient. 21 He powreth contempt vpon princes, and maketh the strength of the mightie weake. 22 He discouereth the deepe places from their darkenesse, and bringeth foorth the shadowe of death to light. 23 He increaseth the people, and destroyeth them: he inlargeth the nations, and bringeth them in againe. 24 He taketh away the heartes of the that are the chiefe ouer the people of the earth, and maketh them to wander in the wildernes out of the way. 25 They grope in the darke without light: and he maketh the to stagger like a drunken man.