Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
For there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Iron is taken out of the dust, and brass is molten out of the stone.
3 Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.
Man setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out to the furthest bound the stones of thick darkness and of the shadow of death.
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 breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; they are forgotten of the foot that passeth by; they hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.
5 Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire.
As for the earth, out of it cometh bread, and underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6 Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold.
The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, and it hath dust of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it.
That path no bird of prey knoweth, neither hath the falcon's eye seen it;
8 Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.
The proud beasts have not trodden it, nor hath the lion passed thereby.
9 The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base.
He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.
10 He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.
He cutteth out channels among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
11 He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.
He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell?
But wisdom, where shall it be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.
Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found 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 saith: 'It is not in me'; and the sea saith: 'It is not with me.'
15 It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.
Gold and glass cannot equal it; neither shall the exchange thereof be vessels of fine gold.
18 Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell?
Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air.
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
22 Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’
Destruction and Death say: 'We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.'
23 But God understands its way, and He knows its place.
God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25 When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,
When He maketh a weight for the wind, and meteth out the waters by measure.
26 when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt,
When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the storm of thunders;
27 then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.
Then did He see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out.
28 And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
And unto man He said: 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'
