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Job 11-12
American Standard Version
Job 11-12
American Standard Version
11 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
2 Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should a man full of talk be justified?
3 Should thy boastings make men hold their peace?
And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?
4 For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in thine eyes.
5 But oh that God would speak,
And open his lips against thee,
6 And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom!
For he is manifold in understanding.
Know therefore that God [a]exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
7 [b]Canst thou by searching find out God?
Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
8 [c]It is high as heaven; what canst thou do?
Deeper than Sheol; what canst thou know?
9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth,
And broader than the sea.
10 If he pass through, and shut up,
And [d]all unto judgment, then who can hinder him?
11 For he knoweth false men:
He seeth iniquity also, [e]even though he consider it not.
12 [f]But vain man is void of understanding,
Yea, man is born as a wild ass’s colt.
13 If thou set thy heart aright,
And stretch out thy hands toward him;
14 If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away,
And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents.
15 Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;
Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
16 For thou shalt forget thy misery;
Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away,
17 And thy life shall [g]be clearer than the noonday;
Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.
18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;
Yea, thou shalt search about thee, and shalt take thy rest in safety.
19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid;
Yea, many shall make suit unto thee.
20 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail,
And [h]they shall have no way to flee;
And their hope shall be the giving up of the ghost.
12 Then Job answered and said,
2 No doubt but ye are the people,
And wisdom shall die with you.
3 But I have understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you:
Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
4 I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor,
I who called upon God, and he answered:
The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock.
5 In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;
It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.
6 The tents of robbers prosper,
And they that provoke God are secure;
[i]Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:
8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee;
And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9 Who knoweth not [j]in all these,
That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,
10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,
And the [k]breath of all mankind?
11 Doth not the ear try words,
Even as the palate tasteth its food?
12 [l]With aged men is wisdom,
And in length of days understanding.
13 With [m]God is wisdom and might;
He hath counsel and understanding.
14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again;
He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up;
Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
16 With him is strength and wisdom;
The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leadeth counsellors away stripped,
And judges maketh he fools.
18 He looseth the bond of kings,
And he bindeth their loins with a girdle.
19 He leadeth priests away stripped,
And overthroweth the mighty.
20 He removeth the speech of the trusty,
And taketh away the understanding of the elders.
21 He poureth contempt upon princes,
And looseth the belt of the strong.
22 He uncovereth deep things out of darkness,
And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
23 He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them:
He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.
24 He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the [n]earth,
And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
25 They grope in the dark without light;
And he maketh them to [o]stagger like a drunken man.
Footnotes
- Job 11:6 Or, remitteth (Hebrew causeth to be forgotten) unto thee of thine iniquity
- Job 11:7 Or, Canst thou find out the deep things of God?
- Job 11:8 Hebrew The heights of heaven.
- Job 11:10 Hebrew call an assembly.
- Job 11:11 Or, and him that considereth not
- Job 11:12 Or, But an empty man will get understanding, when a wild ass’s colt is born a man.
- Job 11:17 Or, arise above
- Job 11:20 Hebrew refuge is perished from them.
- Job 12:6 Or, That bring their god in their hand
- Job 12:9 Or, by
- Job 12:10 Or, spirit
- Job 12:12 Or, With aged men, ye say, is wisdom
- Job 12:13 Hebrew him.
- Job 12:24 Or, land
- Job 12:25 Hebrew wander.
Job 11-12
New International Version
Job 11-12
New International Version
Zophar
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite(A) replied:
2 “Are all these words to go unanswered?(B)
Is this talker to be vindicated?(C)
3 Will your idle talk(D) reduce others to silence?
Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(E)
4 You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(F)
and I am pure(G) in your sight.’
5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(H)
that he would open his lips against you
6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,(I)
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.(J)
7 “Can you fathom(K) the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher(L) than the heavens(M) above—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths below(N)—what can you know?(O)
9 Their measure(P) is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.(Q)
10 “If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?(R)
11 Surely he recognizes deceivers;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?(S)
12 But the witless can no more become wise
than a wild donkey’s colt(T) can be born human.[a](U)
13 “Yet if you devote your heart(V) to him
and stretch out your hands(W) to him,(X)
14 if you put away(Y) the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil(Z) to dwell in your tent,(AA)
15 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;(AB)
you will stand firm(AC) and without fear.(AD)
16 You will surely forget your trouble,(AE)
recalling it only as waters gone by.(AF)
17 Life will be brighter than noonday,(AG)
and darkness will become like morning.(AH)
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest(AI) in safety.(AJ)
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,(AK)
and many will court your favor.(AL)
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,(AM)
and escape will elude them;(AN)
their hope will become a dying gasp.”(AO)
Job
12 Then Job replied:
2 “Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
and wisdom will die with you!(AP)
3 But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?(AQ)
4 “I have become a laughingstock(AR) to my friends,(AS)
though I called on God and he answered(AT)—
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!(AU)
5 Those who are at ease have contempt(AV) for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.(AW)
6 The tents of marauders are undisturbed,(AX)
and those who provoke God are secure(AY)—
those God has in his hand.[b]
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,(AZ)
or the birds in the sky,(BA) and they will tell you;(BB)
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know(BC)
that the hand of the Lord has done this?(BD)
10 In his hand is the life(BE) of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.(BF)
11 Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?(BG)
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?(BH)
Does not long life bring understanding?(BI)
13 “To God belong wisdom(BJ) and power;(BK)
counsel and understanding are his.(BL)
14 What he tears down(BM) cannot be rebuilt;(BN)
those he imprisons cannot be released.(BO)
15 If he holds back the waters,(BP) there is drought;(BQ)
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.(BR)
16 To him belong strength and insight;(BS)
both deceived and deceiver are his.(BT)
17 He leads rulers away stripped(BU)
and makes fools of judges.(BV)
18 He takes off the shackles(BW) put on by kings
and ties a loincloth[c] around their waist.(BX)
19 He leads priests away stripped(BY)
and overthrows officials long established.(BZ)
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.(CA)
21 He pours contempt on nobles(CB)
and disarms the mighty.(CC)
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness(CD)
and brings utter darkness(CE) into the light.(CF)
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;(CG)
he enlarges nations,(CH) and disperses them.(CI)
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;(CJ)
he makes them wander in a trackless waste.(CK)
25 They grope in darkness with no light;(CL)
he makes them stagger like drunkards.(CM)
American Standard Version (ASV)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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