13 “With Him are ^awisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding. ‡

14 If ^aHe breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt;
If He imprisons a man, there can be no release. ‡

15 If He ^awithholds the waters, they dry up;
If He ^bsends them out, they overwhelm the earth. ‡

16 With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.

17 He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.

18 He loosens the bonds of kings,
And binds their waist with a belt.

19 He leads¹ princes away plundered,
And overthrows the mighty. ‡

20 ^aHe deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders. ‡

21 ^aHe pours contempt on princes,
And¹ disarms the mighty. ‡

22 He ^auncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light. ‡

23 ^aHe¹ makes nations great, and destroys them;
He enlarges nations, and guides them. ‡

24 He takes away the¹ understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And ^amakes them wander in a pathless wilderness. ‡

25 ^aThey grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them ^bstagger like a drunken man. ‡