[1] Then Job replied to his friends, [2] "You certainly are wise people, and when you die, wisdom will die. [3] Like you, I have a mind. I am not inferior to you. But who doesn't know these things? [4] I am a laughingstock to my neighbors. I am one who calls on God and expects an answer. A man of integrity, a man who is righteous, has become a laughingstock. [5] "A person who has an easy life has no appreciation for misfortune. He thinks it is the fate of those who slip up. [6] But robbers' tents are prosperous, and there is security for those who provoke God, for those whose god is their power. [7] "Instead, ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds, and they will tell you. [8] Or speak with the earth, and it will teach you. Even the fish will relate the story to you. [9] What creature doesn't know that the LORD's hands made it? [10] The life of every living creature and the spirit in every human body are in his hands. [11] Doesn't the ear distinguish sounds and the tongue taste food? [12] "Wisdom is with the ancient one. The one who has had many days has insight. [13] God has wisdom and strength. Advice and insight are his. [14] When he tears something down, it cannot be rebuilt. When he puts someone in prison, that person cannot be freed. [15] When he holds back the waters, there is a drought. When he releases them, they flood the earth. [16] "God has power and priceless wisdom. He owns both the deceiver and the person who is deceived. [17] He leads counselors away barefoot and makes fools out of judges. [18] He loosens kings' belts and strips them of their pants. [19] He leads priests away barefoot and misleads those who serve in a temple. [20] He makes trusted advisers unable to speak and takes away the good judgment of respected leaders. [21] He pours contempt on influential people and unbuckles the belt of the mighty. [22] He uncovers mysteries hidden in the darkness and brings gloom into the light. [23] He makes nations important and then destroys them. He makes nations large and leads them away. [24] He takes away the common sense of a country's leaders and makes them stumble about in a pathless wilderness. [25] They grope in the dark with no light, and he makes them stumble like drunks.
