< Job 28 >
1 The siluer surely hath his veyne, and ye gold his place, where they take it.
For there is a place for the silver, whence it comes, and a place for the gold, whence it is refined.
2 Yron is taken out of the dust, and brasse is molten out of the stone.
For iron comes out of the earth, and brass is hewn out like stone.
3 God putteth an end to darkenesse, and he tryeth the perfection of all things: he setteth a bond of darkenesse, and of the shadowe of death.
He has set a bound to darkness, and he searches out every limit: a stone [is] darkness, and the shadow of death.
4 The flood breaketh out against the inhabitant, and the waters forgotten of the foote, being higher then man, are gone away.
There is a cutting off the torrent by reason of dust: so they that forget the right way are weakened; they are removed from [among] men.
5 Out of the same earth commeth bread, and vnder it, as it were fire is turned vp.
[As for] the earth, out of it shall come bread: under it has been turned up as it were fire.
6 The stones thereof are a place of saphirs, and the dust of it is golde.
Her stones are the place of the sapphire: and [her] dust [supplies] man with gold.
7 There is a path which no foule hath knowen, neyther hath the kites eye seene it.
[There is] a path, the fowl has not known it, neither has the eye of the vulture seen it:
8 The lyons whelpes haue not walked it, nor the lyon passed thereby.
neither have the sons of the proud trodden it, a lion has not passed upon it.
9 He putteth his hand vpon the rockes, and ouerthroweth the mountaines by the rootes.
He has stretched forth his hand on the sharp [rock], and turned up mountains by the roots:
10 He breaketh riuers in the rockes, and his eye seeth euery precious thing.
and he has interrupted the whirlpools of rivers, and mine eye has seen every precious thing.
11 He bindeth the floods, that they doe not ouerflowe, and the thing that is hid, bringeth he to light.
And he has laid bare the depths of rivers, and has brought his power to light.
12 But where is wisdome found? and where is the place of vnderstanding?
But whence has wisdom been discovered? and what is the place of knowledge?
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof: for it is not found in the land of the liuing.
A mortal has not known its way, neither indeed has it been discovered among men.
14 The depth sayth, It is not in mee: the sea also sayth, It is not with me.
The depth said, It is not in me: and the sea said, It is not with me.
15 Golde shall not be giuen for it, neyther shall siluer be weighed for the price thereof.
One shall not give fine gold instead of it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it.
16 It shall not be valued with the wedge of golde of Ophir, nor with the precious onix, nor the saphir.
Neither shall it be compared with gold of Sophir, with the precious onyx and sapphire.
17 The golde nor the chrystall shall be equall vnto it, nor the exchange shalbe for plate of fine golde.
Gold and crystal shall not be equalled to it, neither shall vessels of gold be its exchange.
18 No mention shall be made of coral, nor of the gabish: for wisedome is more precious then pearles.
Coral and fine pearl shall not be mentioned: but do you esteem wisdom above the most precious things.
19 The Topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equall vnto it, neither shall it be valued with the wedge of pure gold.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equalled to it; it shall not be compared with pure gold.
20 Whence then commeth wisedome? and where is the place of vnderstanding,
Whence then is wisdom found? and of what kind is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all the liuing, and is hid from the foules of the heauen?
It has escaped the notice of every man, and has been hidden from the birds of the sky.
22 Destruction and death say, We haue heard the fame thereof with our eares.
Destruction and Death said, We have heard the report of it.
23 But God vnderstandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
God has well ordered the way of it, and he knows the place of it.
24 For he beholdeth the endes of the world, and seeth all that is vnder heauen,
For he surveys the whole [earth] under heaven, knowing the things in the earth:
25 To make the weight of the windes, and to weigh the waters by measure.
all that he has made; the weight of the winds, the measures of the water.
26 When he made a decree for the rayne, and a way for the lightening of the thunders,
When he made [them], thus he saw and numbered them, and made a way for the pealing of the thunder.
27 Then did he see it, and counted it: he prepared it and also considered it.
Then he saw it, and declared it: he prepared it [and] traced it out.
28 And vnto man he said, Behold, the feare of the Lord is wisedome, and to depart from euil is vnderstanding.
And he said to man, Behold, godliness is wisdom: and to abstain from evil is understanding.