Causing the omensof boastersto fail,Makingfoolsout of diviners,Causing wisemento drawbackAnd turningtheir knowledgeinto foolishness,
The LORDnullifiesthe counselof the nations;He frustratesthe plansof the peoples.
"A swordagainstthe oraclepriests,and they will becomefools!A swordagainsther mightymen,and they will be shattered!
Now someone toldDavid,saying,"Ahithophelis among the conspiratorswith Absalom."And Davidsaid,"O LORD,I pray,makethe counselof Ahithophelfoolishness."
"I will makeher princesand her wisemendrunk,Her governors,her prefectsand her mightymen,That they may sleepa perpetualsleepand not wakeup," Declaresthe King,whose nameis the LORDof hosts.
Thereforebehold,I will once againdealmarvelouslywith thispeople,wondrouslymarvelous;And the wisdomof their wisemenwill perish,And the discernmentof their discerningmen will be concealed."
"Thenthe magicians,the conjurers,the Chaldeansand the divinerscamein and I relatedthe dreamto them, but they could not makeits interpretationknownto me.
As for everymatterof wisdomand understandingabout whichthe kingconsultedthem, he foundthem tentimesbetterthanallthe magicians[and] conjurerswho[were] in allhis realm.
Concerning Edom.Thussaysthe LORDof hosts,"Is therenolongeranywisdomin Teman?Has good counselbeenlostto the prudent?Has their wisdomdecayed?
The battleragedthat day,and the kingof Israelproppedhimself up in his chariotin frontof the Arameansuntilthe evening;and at sunsethe died.
Allthe prophetswere prophesyingthus,saying,"Goup to Ramoth-gileadand succeed,for the LORDwill give[it] into the handof the king."
Now whenAhithophelsawthat his counselwas not followed,he saddled[his] donkeyand aroseand wentto his home,to his city,and sethis housein order,and strangledhimself; thus he diedand was buriedin the graveof his father.
The adviceof Ahithophel,whichhe gavein thosedays,[was] as ifone inquiredof the wordof God;sowas allthe adviceof Ahithophel[regarded] by bothDavidand Absalom.
The magicianscouldnot standbeforeMosesbecauseof the boils,for the boilswere on the magiciansas well as on allthe Egyptians.
So the kingdiedand was broughtto Samaria,and they buriedthe kingin Samaria.
The daysof punishmenthave come,The daysof retributionhave come;Let Israelknow[this]! The prophetis a fool,The inspiredmanis demented,Becauseof the grossnessof your iniquity,And [because] your hostilityis [so] great.
The seerswill be ashamedAnd the divinerswill be embarrassed.Indeed, they will allcover[their] mouthsBecausethereis noanswerfrom God.
"For there is noomenagainst Jacob,Noris there any divinationagainst Israel;At the proper timeit shall be saidto JacobAnd to Israel,whatGodhas done!
"Then the spiritof the Egyptianswill be demoralizedwithinthem; And I will confoundtheir strategy,So that they will resortto idolsand ghostsof the deadAnd to mediumsand spiritists.
For the teraphimspeakiniquity,And the divinersseelyingvisionsAnd tellfalse~dreams;They comfortin vain.Therefore[the people] wanderlikesheep,They are afflicted,becausethereis noshepherd.
