Job 28
1 There are silver mines and places where gold is refined.
Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;
2 Iron is extracted from the earth and copper is smelted from its ore.
Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.
3 Miners take lamps into the darkness underground and search for ore as far as they can go in the shadows and the gloom.
An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.
4 They dig a mineshaft far from where people live or anyone ever goes. They swing from ropes that hang in the pits.
A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.
5 Bread comes from the earth, but underneath it looks as if it has been turned upside-down by fire.
The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.
6 Here the rocks contain lapis lazuli and the dust contains gold.
A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it hath dust of gold.
7 No birds of prey can see these paths, no falcon's eye can perceive.
A path — not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,
8 No wild beasts have passed that way; the lion has not walked there.
Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.
9 Miners attack the hard rock; they overturn the roots of mountains.
Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.
10 They tunnel through the rock, looking carefully for every precious stone.
Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.
11 They dam the sources of the rivers, and bring to light what is hidden.
From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out [to] light.
12 But where can wisdom be found? Where is the place to gain understanding?
And the wisdom — whence is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
13 Human beings do not know the way to wisdom; it is not found among the living.
Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The deep waters say, ‘It's not here,’ and the sea says, ‘It's not here either.’
The deep hath said, 'It [is] not in me,' And the sea hath said, 'It is not with me.'
15 It cannot be bought with gold; nor can it be purchased with silver.
Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed — its price.
16 Its value cannot be measured, even with the gold of Ophir; it is more precious than onyx or lapis lazuli.
It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
17 Gold or fine glass cannot compare with wisdom; it cannot be exchanged for gold jewelry.
Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.
18 Coral and crystal are not worth mentioning; the price of wisdom is far above rubies.
Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies.
19 Topaz from Ethiopia can't compare with it; it cannot be bought with the purest gold.
Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.
20 So where does wisdom come from? Where is the place to gain understanding?
And the wisdom — whence doth it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
21 Wisdom is hidden from the sight of all living things, even the birds of the air cannot see it.
It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.
22 Abaddon and Death say, ‘We've only heard a rumor of it.’
Destruction and death have said: 'With our ears we have heard its fame.'
23 Only God understands the path to wisdom; he knows where it is found.
God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.
24 For he looks to the very end of the earth; he sees everything under heaven.
For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,
25 He decided how strong the wind should blow, and regulated the waters.
To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.
26 He set a limit for the rain and made a path for the lightning.
In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,
27 Then he considered wisdom. He examined it, gave it his approval, and declared it good.
Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,
28 He said to humankind, ‘To reverence the Lord is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
And He saith to man: — 'Lo, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.'
