9Which of all these does not know

that the hand of the Lord has done this?

10In his hand is the life of every creature

and the breath of all mankind.

11Does not the ear test words

as the tongue tastes food?

12Is not wisdom found among the aged?

Does not long life bring understanding?

13“To God belong wisdom and power;

counsel and understanding are his.

14What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;

the man he imprisons cannot be released.

15If he holds back the waters, there is drought;

if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

16To him belong strength and victory;

both deceived and deceiver are his.

17He leads counselors away stripped

and makes fools of judges.

18He takes off the shackles put on by kings

and ties a loincloth^b around their waist.

19He leads priests away stripped

and overthrows men long established.

20He silences the lips of trusted advisers

and takes away the discernment of elders.

21He pours contempt on nobles

and disarms the mighty.

22He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings deep shadows into the light.

23He makes nations great, and destroys them;

he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

24He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;

he sends them wandering through a trackless waste.

25They grope in darkness with no light;

he makes them stagger like drunkards.