Job 28
1 Sølvet har jo sit Leje, som renses, sit Sted,
Surely there is a mine for silver, a place where they refine gold.
2 Jern hentes op af Jorden, og Sten smeltes om til Kobber.
Iron is taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.
3 Paa Mørket gør man en Ende og ransager indtil de dybeste Kroge Mørkets og Mulmets Sten;
A man sets an end to darkness and searches out, to the farthest limit, the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.
4 man bryder en Skakt under Foden, og glemte, foruden Fodfæste, hænger de svævende fjernt fra Mennesker.
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 Af Jorden fremvokser Brød, imedens dens Indre omvæltes som af Ild;
As for the earth, out of which comes bread, it is turned up below as if by fire.
6 i Stenen der sidder Safiren, og der er Guldstøv i den.
Its stones are the place where sapphires are found, and its dust contains gold.
7 Stien derhen er Rovfuglen ukendt, Falkens Øje udspejder den ikke;
No bird of prey knows the path to it, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 den trædes ikke af stolte Vilddyr, Løven skrider ej frem ad den.
The proud animals have not walked such a path, nor has the fierce lion passed there.
9 Paa Flinten lægger man Haand og omvælter Bjerge fra Roden;
A man lays his hand on the flinty rock; he overturns mountains by their roots.
10 i Klipperne hugger man Gange, alskens Klenodier skuer Øjet;
He cuts out channels among the rocks; his eye sees every valuable thing there.
11 man tilstopper Strømmenes Kilder og bringer det skjulte for Lyset.
He ties up the streams so they do not run; what is hidden there he brings out to the light.
12 Men Visdommen — hvor mon den findes, og hvor er Indsigtens Sted?
Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13 Mennesket kender ikke dens Vej, den findes ej i de levendes Land;
Man does not know its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 Dybet siger: »I mig er den ikke!« Havet: »Ej heller hos mig!«
The deep waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 Man faar den ej for det fineste Guld, for Sølv kan den ikke købes,
It cannot be gotten for gold; neither can silver be weighed as its price.
16 den opvejes ikke med Ofirguld, med kostelig Sjoham eller Safir;
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Guld og Glar kan ej maale sig med den, den faas ej i Bytte for gyldne Kar,
Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth; neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 Krystal og Koraller ikke at nævne. At eje Visdom er mere end Perler,
No mention is worth making of coral or jasper; indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.
19 Ætiopiens Topas kan ej maale sig med den, den opvejes ej med det rene Guld.
The topaz of Cush does not equal it; neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
20 Men Visdommen — hvor mon den kommer fra, og hvor er Indsigtens Sted?
From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
21 Den er dulgt for alt levendes Øje og skjult for Himmelens Fugle;
Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.
22 Afgrund og Død maa sige: »Vi hørte kun tale derom.«
Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'
23 Gud er kendt med dens Vej, han ved, hvor den har sit Sted;
God understands the way to it; he knows its place.
24 thi han skuer til Jordens Ender, alt under Himmelen ser han.
For he looks to the very ends of the earth and sees under all the heavens.
25 Dengang han fastsatte Vindens Vægt og maalte Vandet med Maal,
He made the force of the wind and parceled out the waters by measure.
26 da han satte en Lov for Regnen, afmærked Tordenskyen dens Vej,
He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunder.
27 da skued og mønstred han den, han stilled den op og ransaged den.
Then he saw wisdom and announced it; he established it, indeed, and he examined it.
28 Men til Mennesket sagde han: »Se, HERRENS Frygt, det er Visdom, at sky det onde er Indsigt.«
To people he said, 'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; to depart from evil is understanding.'”
