Then Job answered and said,
No doubt but ye are the people,
And wisdom shall die with you.
But I have understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you:
Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
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.
In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;
It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.
The tents of robbers prosper,
And they that provoke God are secure;
{Or, That bring their god to their hand}Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee;
And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Who knoweth not {Or, by}in all these,
That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,
And the {Or, spirit}breath of all mankind?
Doth not the ear try words,
Even as the palate tasteth its food?
{Or, With aged men, ye say, is wisdom}With aged men is wisdom,
And in length of days understanding.
With {Hebrew: him.}God is wisdom and might;
He hath counsel and understanding.
Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again;
He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up;
Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
With him is strength and wisdom;
The deceived and the deceiver are his.
He leadeth counsellors away stripped,
And judges maketh he fools.
He looseth the bond of kings,
And he bindeth their loins with a girdle.
He leadeth priests away stripped,
And overthroweth the mighty.
He removeth the speech of the trusty,
And taketh away the understanding of the elders.
He poureth contempt upon princes,
And looseth the belt of the strong.
He uncovereth deep things out of darkness,
And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them:
He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.
He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the {Or, land}earth,
And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
They grope in the dark without light;
And he maketh them to {Hebrew: wander.}stagger like a drunken man.
Querverweise zu Hiob 12,1 Hiob 12,1
Teach me, and I will hold my peace;And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
How forcible are words of uprightness!But your reproof, what doth it reprove?
For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age,And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out
(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing,Because our days upon earth are a shadow);
Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee,And utter words out of their heart?
Should not the multitude of words be answered?And should a man full of talk be justified?
And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom!For he is manifold in understanding.Know therefore that God {Or, remitteth (Hebrew: causeth to be forgotten) unto thee of thine iniquity}exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
{Or, But an empty man will get understanding, when a wild ass's colt is born a man}But vain man is void of understanding,Yea, man is born as a wild ass's colt.
Should a wise man make answer with {Hebrew: knowledge of wind.}vain knowledge,And fill himself with the east wind?
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding:Therefore shalt thou not exalt them.
I have heard the reproof which putteth me to shame; {Or, But out of my understanding my spirit answereth me}And the spirit of my understanding answereth me.
I said, Days should speak,And multitude of years should teach wisdom.
But there is a spirit in man,And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
It is not the great that are wise,Nor the aged that understand justice.
Therefore I {Or, say}said, Hearken to me;I also will show mine opinion.
Behold, I waited for your words,I listened for your reasonings,Whilst ye searched out what to say.
Yea, I attended unto you,And, behold, there was none that convinced Job,Or that answered his words, among you.
{Or, Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom; God thrusteth him down, not man Now he &c.}Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom;God may vanquish him, not man:
The rich man is wise in {Hebrew: his own eyes.}his own conceit;But the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.
Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dishonor.
I say this to move you to shame. {Or, Is it so, that there cannot &c.}What, cannot there be found among you one wise man who shall be able to decide between his brethren,