Job 28
1 Sølvet har jo sit Leje, som renses, sit Sted,
“It is true that there are places where men dig to find silver, and there are places where people refine/purify gold [that they have dug].
2 Jern hentes op af Jorden, og Sten smeltes om til Kobber.
People dig iron [ore] out of the ground, and they (smelt copper ore/heat copper ore to get the copper from it).
3 Paa Mørket gør man en Ende og ransager indtil de dybeste Kroge Mørkets og Mulmets Sten;
Men use lamps while they work far down under the ground to search for the ore inside the mines where it is very dark.
4 man bryder en Skakt under Foden, og glemte, foruden Fodfæste, hænger de svævende fjernt fra Mennesker.
They dig (shafts/narrow holes very deep down into the ground) in places that are far from where people live, where travelers do not go. They work far away from [other] people, swinging back and forth on ropes [as they descend into the mine shafts].
5 Af Jorden fremvokser Brød, imedens dens Indre omvæltes som af Ild;
Food grows on the surface of the ground, but down under the ground, [where there is no food, ] the miners make fires to break apart the rocks.
6 i Stenen der sidder Safiren, og der er Guldstøv i den.
The stones [that are dug from under the ground] contain (sapphires/very valuable blue stones), and the dirt contains bits of gold.
7 Stien derhen er Rovfuglen ukendt, Falkens Øje udspejder den ikke;
[Some birds have very good eyes, ] but even hawks do not know [where the mines are], and falcons/vultures have not seen those places.
8 den trædes ikke af stolte Vilddyr, Løven skrider ej frem ad den.
Lions or [other] proud wild animals have not walked on the roads near those mines.
9 Paa Flinten lægger man Haand og omvælter Bjerge fra Roden;
Miners tear apart [MTY] very hard rock; [it is as though] they turn the mountains upside down [to get the ore].
10 i Klipperne hugger man Gange, alskens Klenodier skuer Øjet;
They cut tunnels through the rocks, and they find (precious/very valuable) things.
11 man tilstopper Strømmenes Kilder og bringer det skjulte for Lyset.
They dam up small streams in order that water does not flow, and they bring up into the light valuable things that are hidden [in the ground and in the streams].
12 Men Visdommen — hvor mon den findes, og hvor er Indsigtens Sted?
“But wisdom: Where can people find that? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
13 Mennesket kender ikke dens Vej, den findes ej i de levendes Land;
Humans do not know where to find it; no one can find it [here on this earth] where they are living.
14 Dybet siger: »I mig er den ikke!« Havet: »Ej heller hos mig!«
[It is as though] water that is deep [inside the earth] and [water that is in] the seas say [PRS], ‘Wisdom is not here!’
15 Man faar den ej for det fineste Guld, for Sølv kan den ikke købes,
[People] cannot buy wisdom by paying for it with silver or gold.
16 den opvejes ikke med Ofirguld, med kostelig Sjoham eller Safir;
Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from Ophir [land] or other very valuable stones.
17 Guld og Glar kan ej maale sig med den, den faas ej i Bytte for gyldne Kar,
It is worth much more than gold or beautiful glass, worth more than vases made from fine gold.
18 Krystal og Koraller ikke at nævne. At eje Visdom er mere end Perler,
Wisdom is worth more than coral or crystal/pure quartz; the price of wisdom is higher/more than the price of pearls.
19 Ætiopiens Topas kan ej maale sig med den, den opvejes ej med det rene Guld.
The prices of (topaz/very valuable yellow stones) from Ethiopia and of pure gold are lower/less than the price of wisdom.
20 Men Visdommen — hvor mon den kommer fra, og hvor er Indsigtens Sted?
“So, where does wisdom come from? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
21 Den er dulgt for alt levendes Øje og skjult for Himmelens Fugle;
No living humans can see it [MTY]; and birds cannot see it while they are flying [MTY].
22 Afgrund og Død maa sige: »Vi hørte kun tale derom.«
[It is as though] the places where people go after they die say [PRS], ‘We have only heard rumors about [where to find wisdom].’
23 Gud er kendt med dens Vej, han ved, hvor den har sit Sted;
God [is the only one who] knows how to find wisdom; he knows where it is,
24 thi han skuer til Jordens Ender, alt under Himmelen ser han.
because he can see things even in the most remote/distant places on the earth; he can see everything that is below the sky.
25 Dengang han fastsatte Vindens Vægt og maalte Vandet med Maal,
When he decided how strongly the winds should blow, and how much rain would be in the clouds,
26 da han satte en Lov for Regnen, afmærked Tordenskyen dens Vej,
and when he decided where rain [should fall], and what path lightning should take [from the clouds down to the ground],
27 da skued og mønstred han den, han stilled den op og ransaged den.
at that time he saw wisdom and decided that it is extremely valuable. He examined it and (approved it/said that it was very good).
28 Men til Mennesket sagde han: »Se, HERRENS Frygt, det er Visdom, at sky det onde er Indsigt.«
And [then] he said to humans, ‘Listen! To have an awesome respect for me is [what will enable you to become] wise; and to truly understand everything, you must first turn away from doing what is evil.’”
