Joba 28
1 Cak ham a khorhui om tih sui ham khaw a ciil nah hmuen om.
Surely there is a mine for silver, a place where they refine gold.
2 Thicung khaw laipi lamloh a loh tih lungto te rhohum la a tlae.
Iron is taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.
3 A bawtnah te a hmuep neh a khuetnah a cungkuem hil a khueh. Anih loh lungto te a hmuep neh dueknah hlipkhup ah khaw a hoem.
A man sets an end to darkness and searches out, to the farthest limit, the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.
4 Soklong te aka bakuep taeng lamloh a yoe tih kho neh caeh khaw a hnilh uh. Hlanghing lamkah aka tlayae rhoek khaw hinghuen uh.
He breaks open a shaft away from where people live, places that are forgotten by anyone's foot. He hangs far away from people; he swings to and fro.
5 Diklai amah lamloh buh thoeng tih, a hmui ah hmai bangla om.
As for the earth, out of which comes bread, it is turned up below as if by fire.
6 A lungto te minhum hmuen tih, a taengah sui laipi om.
Its stones are the place where sapphires are found, and its dust contains gold.
7 A hawn te vatlung loh ming pawt tih, maisi mik loh hmu pawh.
No bird of prey knows the path to it, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 Te te sa ca rhoek loh cawt pawt tih te donglong te sathuengca long khaw pawn pawh.
The proud animals have not walked such a path, nor has the fierce lion passed there.
9 Hmailung soah a kut a hlah tih tlang pataeng a yung ah a phil.
A man lays his hand on the flinty rock; he overturns mountains by their roots.
10 Sokko lungpang dongah a khoel tih umponah cungkuem khaw a mik loh a hmuh.
He cuts out channels among the rocks; his eye sees every valuable thing there.
11 Tuiva tuilong khaw a kueng tih, olhuep te khosae la a khuen.
He ties up the streams so they do not run; what is hidden there he brings out to the light.
12 Tedae me rhoek ah nim cueihnah a hmuh tih, yakmingnah hmuen he menim?
Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13 A phu te hlanghing loh ming pawt tih, mulhing khohmuen ah a hmuh moenih.
Man does not know its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 Tuidung loh, “Te te kai ah moenih,” a ti tih, tuitunli loh, “Kai taengah moenih,” a ti.
The deep waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 Te ham te sui cilh khaw pae thai pawt tih, cueihnah a phu te cak khaw a khiing pah.
It cannot be gotten for gold; neither can silver be weighed as its price.
16 Ophir sui nen khaw, oitha lung vang nen khaw minhum nen ting pawh.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Te te sui neh canglung neh tluk pawt tih, a hnothung he suicilh hnopai bal moenih.
Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth; neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 Maerhuhlung neh disaehlung khaw thui lawk pawt tih, cueihnah rhovoep tah lungvang lakah then.
No mention is worth making of coral or jasper; indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.
19 Te te Kusah vaya nen khaw tluk pawt tih, sui cilh nen khaw ting pawh.
The topaz of Cush does not equal it; neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
20 Te dongah cueihnah he me lamkah nim ha pawk tih, yakmingnah hmuen he menim?
From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
21 Mulhing boeih kah mik lamloh a thuh pah tih, vaan kah vaa taeng lamloh a thuh.
Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.
22 Abaddon neh dueknah loh, “A olthang te kaimih hna neh ka yaak uh,” a ti.
Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'
23 Pathen loh a longpuei a yakming tih, a hmuen te khaw amah loh a ming.
God understands the way to it; he knows its place.
24 Amah loh diklai khobawt hil a paelki tih, vaan hmui khaw boeih a hmuh.
For he looks to the very ends of the earth and sees under all the heavens.
25 Yilh kah a khiing a khueh pah tih tui khaw cungnueh neh a nueh.
He made the force of the wind and parceled out the waters by measure.
26 Amah loh khotlan ham rhi a suem tih rhaek ol ham khaw longpuei a khueh.
He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunder.
27 Cueihnah te a hmuh tih a tae. Cueihnah te a sikim sak tih a khe bal.
Then he saw wisdom and announced it; he established it, indeed, and he examined it.
28 Hlang taengah khaw, ‘Ka Boeipa hinyahnah he cueihnah la om tih boethae lamloh nong he yakmingnah,’ a ti,” a ti nah.
To people he said, 'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; to depart from evil is understanding.'”
