Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
“Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.
4 He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways.
5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread. Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire.
6 Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold.
7 That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.
9 He puts his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base.
10 He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.
11 He binds the streams that they do not trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.
12 “But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell?
13 Man does not know its price, and it is not found in the land of the living.
No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me.’ The sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.
It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it, neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.
18 No mention will be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it. It will not be valued with pure gold.
Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?
From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell?
21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’
23 “God understands its way, and he knows its place.
But God understands its way, and He knows its place.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
25 He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt,
27 then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.
28 To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
