Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
| כִּי יֵשׁ לַכֶּסֶף מוֹצָא וּמָקוֹם לַזָּהָב יָזֹֽקּוּ׃ |
2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
| בַּרְזֶל מֵעָפָר יֻקָּח וְאֶבֶן יָצוּק נְחוּשָֽׁה׃ |
3 Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
| קֵץ ׀ שָׂם לַחֹשֶׁךְ וּֽלְכָל־תַּכְלִית הוּא חוֹקֵר אֶבֶן אֹפֶל וְצַלְמָֽוֶת׃ |
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.
| פָּרַץ נַחַל ׀ מֵֽעִם־גָּר הַֽנִּשְׁכָּחִים מִנִּי־רָגֶל דַּלּוּ מֵאֱנוֹשׁ נָֽעוּ׃ |
5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread. Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
| אֶרֶץ מִמֶּנָּה יֵֽצֵא־לָחֶם וְתַחְתֶּיהָ נֶהְפַּךְ כְּמוֹ־אֵֽשׁ׃ |
6 Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
| מְקוֹם־סַפִּיר אֲבָנֶיהָ וְעַפְרֹת זָהָב לֽוֹ׃ |
7 That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
| נָתִיב לֹֽא־יְדָעוֹ עָיִט וְלֹא שְׁזָפַתּוּ עֵין אַיָּֽה׃ |
8 The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
| לֹֽא־הִדְרִיכֻהוּ בְנֵי־שָׁחַץ לֹֽא־עָדָה עָלָיו שָֽׁחַל׃ |
9 He puts his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
| בַּֽחַלָּמִישׁ שָׁלַח יָדוֹ הָפַךְ מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ הָרִֽים׃ |
10 He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
| בַּצּוּרוֹת יְאֹרִים בִּקֵּעַ וְכָל־יְקָר רָאֲתָה עֵינֽוֹ׃ |
11 He binds the streams that they do not trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
| מִבְּכִי נְהָרוֹת חִבֵּשׁ וְתַעֲלֻמָהּ יֹצִא אֽוֹר׃ |
12 “But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
| וְֽהַחָכְמָה מֵאַיִן תִּמָּצֵא וְאֵי זֶה מְקוֹם בִּינָֽה׃ |
13 Man does not know its price, and it is not found in the land of the living.
| לֹא־יָדַע אֱנוֹשׁ עֶרְכָּהּ וְלֹא תִמָּצֵא בְּאֶרֶץ הֽ͏ַחַיִּֽים׃ |
14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me.’ The sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
| תְּהוֹם אָמַר לֹא בִי־הִיא וְיָם אָמַר אֵין עִמָּדִֽי׃ |
15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.
| לֹא־יֻתַּן סְגוֹר תַּחְתֶּיהָ וְלֹא יִשָּׁקֵל כֶּסֶף מְחִירָֽהּ׃ |
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
| לֹֽא־תְסֻלֶּה בְּכֶתֶם אוֹפִיר בְּשֹׁהַם יָקָר וְסַפִּֽיר׃ |
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it, neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
| לֹא־יַעַרְכֶנָּה זָהָב וּזְכוֹכִית וּתְמוּרָתָהּ כְּלִי־פָֽז׃ |
18 No mention will be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
| רָאמוֹת וְגָבִישׁ לֹא יִזָּכֵר וּמֶשֶׁךְ חָכְמָה מִפְּנִינִֽים׃ |
19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it. It will not be valued with pure gold.
| לֹֽא־יַעַרְכֶנָּה פִּטְדַת־כּוּשׁ בְּכֶתֶם טָהוֹר לֹא תְסֻלֶּֽה׃ |
20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?
| וְֽהַחָכְמָה מֵאַיִן תָּבוֹא וְאֵי זֶה מְקוֹם בִּינָֽה׃ |
21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
| וְֽנֶעֶלְמָה מֵעֵינֵי כָל־חָי וּמֵעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם נִסְתָּֽרָה׃ |
22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
| אֲבַדּוֹן וָמָוֶת אָמְרוּ בְּאָזְנֵינוּ שָׁמַעְנוּ שִׁמְעָֽהּ׃ |
23 “God understands its way, and he knows its place.
| אֱלֹהִים הֵבִין דַּרְכָּהּ וְהוּא יָדַע אֶת־מְקוֹמָֽהּ׃ |
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
| כִּי־הוּא לִקְצוֹת־הָאָרֶץ יַבִּיט תַּחַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמַיִם יִרְאֶֽה׃ |
25 He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
| לַעֲשׂוֹת לָרוּחַ מִשְׁקָל וּמַיִם תִּכֵּן בְּמִדָּֽה׃ |
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
| בַּעֲשֹׂתוֹ לַמָּטָר חֹק וְדֶרֶךְ לַחֲזִיז קֹלֽוֹת׃ |
27 then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
| אָז רָאָהּ וַֽיְסַפְּרָהּ הֱכִינָהּ וְגַם־חֲקָרָֽהּ׃ |
28 To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
| וַיֹּאמֶר ׀ לָֽאָדָם הֵן יִרְאַת אֲדֹנָי הִיא חָכְמָה וְסוּר מֵרָע בִּינָֽה׃ |
