1 Then Iob answered, and sayde, 2 In deede because that ye are the people onely, wisedome must dye with you. 3 But I haue vnderstanding aswel as you, and am not inferior vnto you: yea, who knoweth not such things? 4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth vpon God, and he heareth him: the iust and the vpright is laughed to scorne. 5 Hee that is readie to fall, is as a lampe despised in the opinion of the riche. 6 The tabernacles of robbers doe prosper, and they are in safetie, that prouoke God, whome God hath enriched with his hand. 7 Aske now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, and the foules of the heauen, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or speake to the earth, and it shall shewe thee: or the fishes of the sea, and they shall declare vnto thee. 9 Who is ignorant of all these, but that the hande of the Lord hath made these? 10 In whose hande is the soule of euery liuing thing, and the breath of all mankinde. 11 Doeth not the eares discerne the words? and the mouth taste meate for it selfe? 12 Among the ancient is wisedome, and in the length of dayes is vnderstanding. 13 With him is wisedome and strength: he hath counsell and vnderstanding. 14 Beholde, he will breake downe, and it can not be built: he shutteth a man vp, and he can not be loosed. 15 Beholde, he withholdeth the waters, and they drie vp: but when he sendeth them out, they destroy the earth. 16 With him is strength and wisedome: hee that is deceiued, and that deceiueth, are his. 17 He causeth the counsellers to goe as spoyled, and maketh the iudges fooles. 18 He looseth the collar of Kings, and girdeth their loynes with a girdle. 19 He leadeth away the princes as a pray, and ouerthroweth the mightie. 20 He taketh away the speach from the faithfull counsellers, and taketh away the iudgement of the ancient. 21 He powreth contempt vpon princes, and maketh the strength of the mightie weake. 22 He discouereth the deepe places from their darkenesse, and bringeth foorth the shadowe of death to light. 23 He increaseth the people, and destroyeth them: he inlargeth the nations, and bringeth them in againe. 24 He taketh away the heartes of the that are the chiefe ouer the people of the earth, and maketh them to wander in the wildernes out of the way. 25 They grope in the darke without light: and he maketh the to stagger like a drunken man.
Job 12 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
Cross references (23)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 2 Isaiah 5:21; Job 17:4; Job 17:10; Job 8:8–10; Job 11:12
- 3 Job 13:2–5; 2 Corinthians 11:21–23; Proverbs 26:4; 2 Corinthians 11:5; Job 6:6–7
- 4 Job 30:1; Job 21:3; Psalm 91:15; Job 17:6; Psalm 22:7–8
- 5 Psalm 17:5; Proverbs 13:9; Matthew 25:8; Amos 6:1–6; Psalm 123:3–4
- 6 Job 9:24; Psalm 73:11–12; Psalm 37:35; Psalm 17:14; Job 21:7–15
- 7 Isaiah 1:3; Jeremiah 8:7; Proverbs 6:6; Job 21:29–30
- 9 Isaiah 41:20; Jeremiah 27:5–6; Romans 11:36; Acts 19:35; 1 Samuel 2:7
- 10 Acts 17:28; Job 33:4; Acts 17:25; Numbers 16:22; Job 27:3
- 11 Job 34:3; Hebrews 5:14; Job 6:30; 1 Peter 2:3; Philippians 1:10
- 12 Job 32:7; Job 15:10; Job 8:8
- 13 Job 36:5; Job 9:4; Proverbs 2:6–7; James 1:5; Job 28:20–28
- 14 Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7; Malachi 1:4; Job 11:10; Job 37:7
- 15 1 Kings 17:1; Amos 5:8; Genesis 6:17; James 5:17–18; Genesis 6:13
- 16 Job 13:9; Job 12:13; Ezekiel 14:9; 1 Kings 22:22–23; Matthew 6:13
- 17 Isaiah 29:14; 1 Corinthians 1:19–20; 2 Samuel 17:23; 2 Samuel 17:14; Job 9:24
- 18 Daniel 2:21; Psalm 116:16; Jeremiah 52:31–34; 2 Chronicles 33:11–14; Revelation 19:16
- 19 Isaiah 45:1; Isaiah 37:36–38; Job 35:9; Joshua 10:24; Revelation 19:19–21
- 20 Job 32:9; Job 17:4; Job 12:24; Proverbs 10:21; Job 39:17
- 21 Psalm 107:40; 1 Kings 21:23–24; Ephesians 6:10; Acts 12:23; Exodus 16:24
- 22 Daniel 2:22; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Job 3:5; Luke 1:79
- 23 Isaiah 9:3; Isaiah 26:15; Isaiah 60:22; Psalm 107:38; Jeremiah 33:22
- 24 Psalm 107:40; Job 12:20; Hosea 7:11; Isaiah 19:1; Daniel 4:16
- 25 Job 5:14; Psalm 107:27; Isaiah 24:20; Isaiah 19:14; Deuteronomy 28:29
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Speak to the earth, if perchance it may teach thee: and though thou inquire of all things which are upon the earth, they shall not be able to tell thee.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)