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12:1  Then Job answered them:
12:2  “I’m sure you think you are the only wise people left. You think that when you die, wisdom will be gone with you.
12:3  But my mind is as good as yours. You aren’t any smarter than I am. You haven’t said anything that people don’t already know.
12:4  “My friends laugh at me now. They say, ‘He prayed to God and got his answer.’ I am a good, innocent man, but still they laugh at me.
12:5  Those who have no troubles make fun of those who do. They hit a man when he is down.
12:6  But robbers’ tents are not bothered. Those who make God angry live in peace, even though God has them in his power.
12:7  “But ask the animals, and they will teach you. Or ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.
12:8  Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you. Or let the fish in the sea tell you their wisdom.
12:9  Everyone knows that the Lord made these things.
12:10  Every animal that lives and everyone who breathes— they are all under God’s power.
12:11  But just as the tongue tastes food, the ears test the words they hear.
12:12  People say, ‘Wisdom is to be found in those who are old. Long life brings understanding.’
12:13  But wisdom and power belong to God. Good advice and understanding are his.
12:14  Anything God tears down cannot be rebuilt. Anyone he puts in prison cannot be set free.
12:15  If he holds back the rain, the earth will dry up. If he lets the rain loose, it will flood the land.
12:16  God is strong and always wins. He controls those who fool others and those who are fooled.
12:17  He strips advisors of their wisdom and makes leaders act like fools.
12:18  He strips kings of their authority and makes them slaves.
12:19  He strips priests of their power and removes those who feel so secure in their position.
12:20  He makes trusted advisors be silent. He takes away the wisdom of the older leaders.
12:21  He brings disgrace to important people. He takes power away from rulers.
12:22  He exposes even the darkest secrets. He sends light into places that are as dark as death.
12:23  God makes nations great, and then he destroys them. He makes nations grow large, and then he scatters their people.
12:24  He makes their leaders foolish. He makes them wander around in the desert.
12:25  They are like someone feeling their way in the dark. They are like drunks who don’t know where they are going.