Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Iron is taken out of the earth, 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.
He sets an end to darkness, and searches out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and 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.
The flood breaks out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
5 Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
6 Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold.
The stones of it 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.
There is a path which no fowl knows, and which the vulture's eye has not seen:
8 Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.
The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
9 The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base.
He puts forth his hand upon the rock; he overturns the mountains by the roots.
10 He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.
He cuts out rivers among the rocks; and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.
He binds the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid brings he forth to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell?
But where shall wisdom 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 knows 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 depth says, 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.
It cannot be got 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.
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels 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 pearls: for 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 comes 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 the fame thereof with our ears.
23 But God understands its way, and He knows its place.
God understands the way thereof, and he knows the place thereof.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven;
25 When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,
To make the weight for the winds; and he weights 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 lightning of the thunder:
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 prepared 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.
