Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
Truly there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is washed out.
2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone is changed into brass by the fire.
3 Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.
Man puts an end to the dark, searching out to the farthest limit the stones of the deep places of the dark.
4 Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways.
He makes a deep mine far away from those living in the light of day; when they go about on the earth, they have no knowledge of those who are under them, who are hanging far from men, twisting from side to side on a cord.
5 Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire.
As for the earth, bread comes out of it; but under its face it is turned up as if by fire.
6 Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold.
Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it.
No bird has knowledge of it, and the hawk's eye has never seen it.
8 Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.
The great beasts have not gone over it, and the cruel lion has not taken that way.
9 The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base.
Man puts out his hand on the hard rock, overturning mountains by the roots.
10 He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.
He makes deep ways, cut through the rock, and his eye sees everything of value.
11 He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.
He keeps back the streams from flowing, and makes the secret things come out into the light.
12 But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell?
But where may wisdom be seen? and where is the resting-place of knowledge?
13 No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.
Man has not seen the way to it, and it is not in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’
The deep waters say, It is not in me: and the sea says, It is not with me.
15 It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
Gold may not be given for it, or a weight of silver in payment for it.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
It may not be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the onyx of great price, or the sapphire.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.
Gold and glass are not equal to it in price, and it may not be exchanged for jewels of the best gold.
18 Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
There is no need to say anything about coral or crystal; and the value of wisdom is greater than that of pearls.
19 Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
The topaz of Ethiopia is not equal to it, and it may not be valued with the best gold.
20 From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell?
From where then does wisdom come, and where is the resting-place of knowledge?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air.
For it is kept secret from the eyes of all living, unseen by the birds of the air.
22 Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’
Destruction and Death say, We have only had word of it with our ears.
23 But God understands its way, and He knows its place.
God has knowledge of the way to it, and of its resting-place;
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
For his eyes go to the ends of the earth, and he sees everything under heaven.
25 When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,
When he made a weight for the wind, measuring out the waters;
26 when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt,
When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the thunder-flames;
27 then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.
Then he saw it, and put it on record; he gave it its fixed form, searching it out completely.
28 And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
And he said to man, Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to keep from evil is the way to knowledge.
