1 Then Job replied and said:
2 No doubt you are the intelligent folk, and with you wisdom shall die!
3 But I have intelligence as well as you; for who does not know such things as these?
4 I have become the sport of my neighbors: "The one whom God answers when he calls upon him, The just, the perfect man," is a laughing-stock;
5 The undisturbed esteem my downfall a disgrace such as awaits unsteady feet;
6 Yet the tents of robbers are prosperous, and those who provoke God are secure.
7 But now ask the beasts to teach you, and the birds of the air to tell you;
8 Or the reptiles on earth to instruct you, and the fish of the sea to inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of God has done this?
10 In his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the life breath of all mankind.
11 Does not the ear judge words as the mouth tastes food?
12 So with old age is wisdom, and with length of days understanding.
13 With him are wisdom and might; his are counsel and understanding.
14 If he breaks a thing down, there is no rebuilding; if he imprisons a man, there is no release.
15 He holds back the waters and there is drought; he sends them forth and they overwhelm the land.
16 With him are strength and prudence; the misled and the misleaders are his.
17 He sends counselors away barefoot, and of judges he makes fools.
18 He loosens the bonds imposed by kings and leaves but a waistcloth to bind the king's own loins.
19 and lets their never-failing waters flow away.
20 He silences the trusted adviser, and takes discretion from the aged.
21 He breaks down the barriers of the streams
22 The recesses of the darkness he discloses, and brings the gloom forth to the light.
23 He makes nations great and he destroys them; he spreads peoples abroad and he abandons them.
24 He takes understanding from the leaders of the land,
25 till they grope in the darkness without light; he makes them stagger like drunken men.
Versículos relacionados com Job, 12:
Job 12 is a chapter in which Job responds to Zofar, one of the friends who visit him and try to comfort him in the midst of his afflictions. Job refutes Zofar's position, stating that wisdom is not exclusive to friends, but is also granted by God to those who suffer. He talks about the sovereignty of God and the passing nature of human life. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in Job 12:
Psalm 147:5 - "Great is our Lord and tremendous, above all the gods." This verse highlights God's sovereignty, a recurring theme in Job 12.
James 1:5-"But if any of you are lacking wisdom, ask it to God, who gives all liberally and not censorship, and will be given to him." Job 12 talks about the wisdom granted by God to those who suffer, and this verse in James reinforces this idea.
Psalm 90:10 - "The days of our years are seventy years, and if some, for their robustness, come to eighty years, their pride is tired and boring, because soon it cuts and we fly." Like Job, this verse highlights the brevity of human life.
Isaiah 40:28 - "You do not know, you do not hear that the eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, is neither tired nor is it fatigue? This verse reinforces the sovereignty and infinity of God, themes present in Job 12.
Proverbs 3:5-6-"Trust in the Lord of all your heart and do not stir in your own understanding. Recognizes Him in all your ways, and he will straighten your paths." This verse highlights the importance of trust in God, a theme present in Job 12.
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