Job 28
1 Sumkanglung takaehhaih ahmuen to oh moe, sui tui paciihaih ahmuen doeh oh tangtang.
“Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
2 Sum loe long thung hoiah takaeh moe, sumkamling loe thlung atui pacii naah ni oh.
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Kami mah hmaiim to sin moe, sum tacawthaih ahmuen kathuk, duekhaih tahlip khoving thungah sum to pakrong.
Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.
4 Kami ohhaih ahmuen hoi kangthla, panoek ai ih ahmuen ah, qui hoiah angbangh moe, long to takaeh.
Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways.
5 Long mah caaknaek to tacawtsak, toe atlim ah loe hmai to oh.
Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire.
6 To ah kaom thlungnawk loe Sapphire thlung tacawthaih ahmuen ah oh moe, maiphu doeh sui tacawthaih maiphu ah oh.
Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold.
7 Tavaa mah panoek ai ih, tahmu mah doeh hnu ai ih, loklam to oh;
No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 to loklam loe kaipui mah cawh ai moe, hmawsaeng kaipui mah doeh pazui vai ai vop.
Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.
9 Kami mah ban hoiah thlung to pakhoih moe, maenawk to takung khoek to takaeh boih.
The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base.
10 Thlung to pakhoih moe, athung ah kaom atho kana hmuennawk to a hnuk.
He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.
11 Kalong tui to pakaa moe, hnuk ai ih hmuennawk to a lak.
He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.
12 Toe palunghahaih loe naa ah maw hnu thai tih? Palunghahaih ahmuen loe naa ah maw oh?
But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell?
13 Palunghahaih atho nazetto maw oh, tito kami mah panoek thai ai; kahing kaminawk ohhaih prae ah doeh hnu thai ai.
No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 Kathuk tui mah, Kai thungah om ai; tuipui mah doeh kai khaeah om ai, tiah thuih.
The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’
15 Kaciim suitui hoiah palunghahaih to qan thai ai moe, phoisa to noek moe, paek cadoeh, palunghahaih to qan thai ai.
It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 Ophir ih sui hoiah doeh qan thai ai moe, atho kaom onyx hoi sapphire mah doeh qan thai ai.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Palunghahaih loe sui, atho kaom kawbaktih thlung hoiah doeh patah thai ai; kaciim suitui hoiah doeh alaih thai mak ai.
Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.
18 Koral hoi pale loe thuih han koi om ai; palunghahaih atho loe thlung kathim pongah doeh atho oh kue.
Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 Ethiopia ih Topaz thlung hoiah patah thai ai moe, kaciim suitui hoiah doeh qan thai ai.
Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 To tih nahaeloe palunghahaih loe naa bang hoiah maw angzoh? Panoekthaihaih ahmuen loe naa ah maw oh?
From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell?
21 Palunghahaih loe hinghaih katawn hmuennawk boih ih mik hoiah hnu thai ai, van ih tavaanawk mah doeh hnu thai ai.
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Amrohaih hoi duekhaih hnik mah loe, Palunghahaih lok to naa hoi khue ni ka thaih, tiah a thuih hoi.
Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’
23 Sithaw mah khue ni palunghahaih loklam to panoek moe, a ohhaih ahmuen to panoek.
But God understands its way, and He knows its place.
24 Anih loe long boenghaih to khet moe, van tlim ih hmuennawk boih to a hnuk.
For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
25 Takhi thacakhaih to a noek moe, tuinawk to a tah.
When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,
26 Kho angzohhaih dan hoi khopazih tangphra puekhaih loklam to a sak naah,
when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt,
27 palunghahaih to a hnuk moe, amtuengsak; ue, anih mah caksak moe, a sak tanoek.
then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.
28 Anih mah kami khaeah, Khenah, Angraeng zithaih loe, palunghahaih ah oh; kasae caeh taakhaih loe, panoekthaihaih ah oh, tiah a naa.
And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
