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