12: 2 No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you.
12: 3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yes, who knoweth not such things as these?
12: 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.
12: 5 In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.
12: 6 The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; 116Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
116Or, That bring their god in their hand.
12: 7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:
12: 8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
12: 9 Who knoweth not 117in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,
117Or, by all these,
12: 10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the 118breath of all mankind?
118Or, spirit or possibly, wind Hb. חור, ruach.
12: 11 Doth not the ear try words, Even as the palate tasteth its food?
12: 12 119With aged men is wisdom, And in length of days understanding.
119Or, With aged men, ye say, is wisdom,
12: 13 With 120God is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding.
120Hb. Him or, him
12: 14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
12: 15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
12: 16 With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his.
12: 17 He leadeth counsellors away stripped, And judges maketh he fools.
12: 18 He looseth the bond of kings, And bindeth their loins with a girdle.
12: 19 He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty.
12: 20 He removeth the speech of the trusty, And taketh away the understanding of the elders.
12: 21 He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the belt of the strong.
12: 22 He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
12: 23 He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.
12: 24 He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the 121earth, And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
121Or, land,
12: 25 They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to 122stagger like a drunken man.
122Hb. wander
