Job 28
1 Silver has its fissures where it is first found, and gold has a place where it is melted.
“La plata tiene sus veneros, y el oro su lugar donde lo acrisolan.
2 Iron is taken from the earth, and ore, unbound by heat, is turned into brass.
El hierro se saca de la tierra, y de la piedra fundida el cobre.
3 He has established a time for darkness, and he has settled on an end for all things, as well as for the stone that is in the gloom and shadow of death.
El (hombre) pone fin a las tinieblas, y hasta en lo más profundo, excava las piedras (escondidas) en densa oscuridad.
4 The burning separates a pilgrim people from those who have been forgotten by the feet of the destitute man and from the unapproachable.
Abre galerías, lejos de la habitación humana donde, ignorado de los transeúntes, (trabaja) descolgándose y balanceando el cuerpo.
5 The land, where bread appeared in its place, has been destroyed by fire.
La tierra, de donde sale el pan, está revuelta en sus entrañas como por el fuego,
6 Its stones are embedded with sapphires, and its soil, with gold.
pues en sus piedras hay zafiros; y sus terrones contienen oro.
7 The bird does not know its path, nor has the eye of the vulture beheld it.
Sendas hay que no conoce el águila, ni puede verlas el ojo del halcón.
8 The sons of merchants have not walked there, nor has the lioness traveled through it.
No las pisan las fieras, ni pasó jamás por ellas león.
9 He has stretched out his hand to the rocks; he has overturned the foundations of the mountains.
Al pedernal extiende su mano, explorando la raíz de los montes.
10 He has cut rivers through the rocks, and his eye has seen all precious things.
Abre zanjas a través de las rocas, y su ojo ve todo lo precioso.
11 The depths of rivers he has also examined, and he has brought hidden things into the light.
Detiene las goteras de las aguas y saca a luz lo que estaba escondido.
12 But, in truth, where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?
Mas la sabiduría ¿dónde se halla? ¿Dónde reside la inteligencia?
13 Man does not know its price, nor is it found in the land of those who live in sweetness.
No conoce el hombre su valor y nadie puede encontrarla en la tierra de los vivientes.
14 The abyss declares, “It is not in me.” And the sea says, “It is not with me.”
El abismo dice: «No está en mí»; y el mar responde: «Tampoco conmigo está».
15 The finest gold will not be paid for it, nor will silver be weighed in exchange for it.
No se compra con oro finísimo, ni se pesa plata a cambio de ella.
16 It will not be compared with the dyed colors of India, nor with the very costly stone sardonyx, nor with the sapphire.
No se la compensa con el oro de Ofir, ni con el ónice precioso, ni con el zafiro.
17 Neither gold nor crystal will be its equal; neither will vessels of gold be fitted for it.
No se la equipara al oro, ni al vidrio, ni se la cambia por vasos de oro puro.
18 The exalted and the eminent will not be remembered in comparison with it. Yet wisdom is drawn out of concealment.
Corales y cristal ni se mencionan; la posesión de la sabiduría vale más que las perlas.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not be equal to it, nor will it be compared to the purest dyes.
No le es igual el topacio de Etiopía; el oro más puro no alcanza su valor.
20 So then, where does wisdom begin, and where is the place of understanding?
¿De dónde, pues, viene la sabiduría? ¿Cuál es el lugar de la inteligencia?
21 It has been hidden from the eyes of all living things, just as the birds of the heavens escape notice.
Ocúltase a los ojos de todo viviente, y aun a las aves del cielo no se revela.
22 Perdition and death have said, “With our ears, we have heard its fame.”
El abismo y la muerte dicen: «Hemos oído hablar de ella.»
23 God understands its way, and he knows its location.
Mas su camino solo conoce Dios, Él sabe dónde ella reside.
24 For he beholds the limits of the world, and he looks upon all things that are under heaven.
Porque su vista alcanza los extremos de la tierra; Él ve cuanto hay bajo todo el cielo.
25 He created a counterweight for the winds, and he suspended the waters to measure them.
Cuando fijó el peso del viento, y estableció la medida de las aguas;
26 At that time, he gave a law to the rain and a path to the resounding storms.
cuando dio leyes a la lluvia, y trazó el camino de las tempestades,
27 Then he saw and explained it, and he made ready and examined it.
entonces Él la vio, y la describió; la estableció y la escudriñó,
28 And he said to man, “Behold the fear of the Lord. Such is wisdom. And to withdraw from evil, this is understanding.”
y dijo al hombre: «El temor del Señor, esta es la sabiduría, y huir del mal, esta es la inteligencia».”
