Page:JPS-1917-Universal.djvu/957

---

¹⁰In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,

And the breath of all mankind.—

¹¹Doth not the ear try words,

Even as the palate tasteth its food?

¹²Is wisdom with aged men,

And understanding in length of days?—

¹³With Him is wisdom and might;

He hath counsel and understanding.

¹⁴Behold, He breaketh down, and it cannot be built again;

He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

¹⁵Behold, He withholdeth the waters, and they dry up;

Also He sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

¹⁶With Him is strength and sound wisdom;

The deceived and the deceiver are His.

¹⁷He leadeth counsellors away stripped,

And judges maketh He fools.

¹⁸He looseth the bond of kings,

And bindeth their loins with a girdle.

¹⁹He leadeth priests away stripped,

And overthroweth the mighty.

²⁰He removeth the speech of men of trust,

And taketh away the sense of the elders.

²¹He poureth contempt upon princes,

And looseth the belt of the strong.

²²He uncovereth deep things out of darkness,

And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

²³He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them;

He enlargeth the nations, and leadeth them away.

²⁴He taketh away the heart of the chiefs of the people of the land,

And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

²⁵They grope in the dark without light,

And He maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

 

13 Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,

Mine ear hath heard and understood it.

²What ye know, do I know also;

I am not inferior unto you.

³Notwithstanding I would speak to the Almighty,

And I desire to reason with God.

⁴But ye are plasterers of lies,

Ye are all physicians of no value.

⁵Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace!

And it would be your wisdom.

⁶Hear now my reasoning,

And hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷Will ye speak unrighteously for God,

And talk deceitfully for Him?

⁸Will ye show Him favour?

Will ye contend for God?

⁹Would it be good that He should search you out?

Or as one mocketh a man, will ye mock Him?

¹⁰He will surely reprove you,

If ye do secretly show favour.

¹¹Shall not His majesty terrify you,

And His dread fall upon you?

¹²Your memorials shall be like unto ashes,

Your eminences to eminences of clay.

 

¹³Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak,

And let come on me what will.

¹⁴Wherefore? I will take my flesh in my teeth,

And put my life in my hand.

935