12:2 “You people think you are the only ones who matter! You are sure that wisdom will die with you!
12:3 But I have a brain, just like you. I’m as clever as you are. In fact, everyone knows as much as you do.
12:4 “My friends laugh at me all the time, even though I called out to God and he answered. My friends laugh at me, even though I’m honest and right.
12:5 People who have an easy life look down on those who have problems. They think trouble comes only to those whose feet are slipping.
12:6 Why doesn’t anyone bother the tents of robbers? Why do those who make God angry remain secure? They are in God’s hands!
12:7 “But ask the animals what God does. They will teach you. Or ask the birds in the sky. They will tell you.
12:8 Or speak to the earth. It will teach you. Or let the fish in the ocean educate you.
12:9 Are there any of these creatures that don’t know what the powerful hand of the Lord has done?
12:10 He holds the life of every creature in his hand. He controls the breath of every human being.
12:11 Our tongues tell us what tastes good and what doesn’t. And our ears tell us what’s true and what isn’t.
12:12 Old people are wise. Those who live a long time have understanding.
12:13 “Wisdom and power belong to God. Advice and understanding also belong to him.
12:14 What he tears down can’t be rebuilt. The people he puts in prison can’t be set free.
12:15 If he holds back the water, everything dries up. If he lets the water loose, it floods the land.
12:16 Strength and understanding belong to him. Those who tell lies and those who believe them also belong to him.
12:17 He removes the wisdom of rulers and leads them away. He makes judges look foolish.
12:18 He sets people free from the chains that kings put on them. Then he dresses the kings in the clothes of slaves.
12:19 He removes the authority of priests and leads them away. He removes from their positions officials who have been in control for a long time.
12:20 He shuts the mouths of trusted advisers. He takes away the understanding of elders.
12:21 He looks down on proud leaders. He takes away the strength of those who are mighty.
12:22 He tells people the secrets of darkness. He brings total darkness out into the light.
12:23 He makes nations great, and then he destroys them. He makes nations grow, and then he scatters them.
12:24 He takes away the understanding of the leaders of the earth. He makes them wander in a desert where no one lives.
12:25 Without any light, they feel their way along in darkness. God makes them unsteady like those who get drunk.
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