12:17 He leads counselors away stripped
and makes judges into fools.
12:18 He loosens the bonds of kings
and binds a loincloth around their waist.
12:19 He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows the potentates.
12:20 He deprives the trusted advisers of speech
and takes away the discernment of elders.
12:21 He pours contempt on noblemen
and disarms the powerful.
12:22 He reveals the deep things of darkness,
and brings deep shadows into the light.
12:23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;
he extends the boundaries of nations
and disperses them.
12:24 He deprives the leaders of the earth
of their understanding;
he makes them wander
in a trackless desert waste.
12:25 They grope about in darkness without light;
he makes them stagger like drunkards.