Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
Siluer hath bigynnyngis of his veynes; and a place is to gold, in which it is wellid togidere.
2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Irun is takun fro erthe, and a stoon resolued, `ethir meltid, bi heete, is turned in to money.
3 Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.
God hath set tyme to derknessis, and he biholdith the ende of alle thingis.
4 Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways.
Also a stronde departith a stoon of derknesse, and the schadewe of deth, fro the puple goynge in pilgrymage; it departith tho hillis, whiche the foot of a nedi man foryat, and hillis with out weie.
5 Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire.
The erthe, wher of breed cam forth in his place, is destried bi fier.
6 Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold.
The place of saphir ben stoonys therof, and the clottis therof ben gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it.
A brid knewe not the weie, and the iye of a vultur, ethir rauenouse brid, bihelde it not.
8 Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.
The sones of marchauntis tretiden not on it, and a lyonesse passide not therbi.
9 The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base.
God stretchide forth his hond to a flynt; he distriede hillis fro the rootis.
10 He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.
He hewide doun ryuers in stoonys; and his iye siy al precious thing.
11 He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.
And he souyte out the depthis of floodis; and he brouyte forth hid thingis in to liyt.
12 But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell?
But where is wisdom foundun, and which is the place of vndurstondyng?
13 No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.
A man noot the prijs therof, nether it is foundun in the lond of men lyuynge swetli, `ether delicatli.
14 The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’
The depthe of watris seith, It is not in me; and the see spekith, It is not with me.
15 It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
Gold ful cleene schal not be youun for wisdom, nether siluer schal be weied in the chaungyng therof.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
It schal not be comparysound to the died colours of Iynde, not to the moost preciouse stoon of sardius, nether to saphir.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.
Nether gold, nether glas schal be maad euene worth therto;
18 Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
and hiye and fer apperynge vessels of gold schulen not be chaungid for wisdom, nether schulen be had in mynde in comparisoun therof. Forsothe wisdom is drawun of pryuy thingis;
19 Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
topasie of Ethiope schal not be maad euene worth to wisdom, and moost preciouse diyngis schulen not be set togidere in prijs, `ether comparisound, therto.
20 From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell?
Therfor wherof cometh wisdom, and which is the place of vndurstondyng?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air.
It is hid fro the iyen of alle lyuynge men; also it is hid fro briddis of heuene.
22 Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’
Perdicioun and deeth seiden, With oure eeris we herden the fame therof.
23 But God understands its way, and He knows its place.
God vndurstondith the weye therof, and he knowith the place therof.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
For he biholdith the endis of the world, and biholdith alle thingis that ben vndur heuene.
25 When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,
`Which God made weiyte to wyndis, and weiede watris in mesure.
26 when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt,
Whanne he settide lawe to reyn, and weie to tempestis sownynge;
27 then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.
thanne he siy wisdom, and telde out, and made redi, and souyte 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 he seide to man, Lo! the drede of the Lord, thilke is wisdom; and to go awei fro yuel, is vndurstondyng.
