Job 28
1 “Surely there is a source for silver, And a place for the gold they refine;
Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they refine it.
2 Iron is taken from the dust, And bronze [from] the firm stone.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is melted out of the stone.
3 He has set an end to darkness, And he is searching to all perfection, A stone of darkness and death-shade.
He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
4 A stream has broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, they wandered from man.
The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten by the foot: they are dried up, they have gone away from men.
5 The earth! Bread comes forth from it, And its under-part is turned like fire.
As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
6 A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it has dust of gold.
The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.
7 A path—a ravenous bird has not known it, Nor has an eye of the falcon scorched it,
There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen:
8 Nor have the sons of pride trodden it, The fierce lion has not passed over it.
The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
9 He sent forth his hand against the flint, He overturned mountains from the root.
He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
10 Among rocks, he has cleaved brooks, And his eye has seen every precious thing.
He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
11 He has bound overflowing rivers, And the hidden thing brings out [to] light.
He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid he bringeth forth to light.
12 And the wisdom—from where is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
13 Man has not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
Man knoweth not the price of it; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The deep has said, It [is] not in me, And the sea has said, It is not with me.
The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed—its price.
It cannot be obtained for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price of it.
16 It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 Gold and crystal do not equal it, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
18 Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies.
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush does not equal it, It is not valued with pure gold.
The topaz of Cush shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 And the wisdom—from where does it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
Where then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21 It has been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the bird of the heavens It has been hidden.
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
22 Destruction and death have said: With our ears we have heard its fame.
Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame of it with our ears.
23 God has understood its way, And He has known its place.
God understandeth the way of it, and he knoweth its place.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth, He sees under the whole heavens,
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25 To make a weight for the wind, And He meted out the waters in measure.
To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
26 In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
27 Then He has seen and declares it, He has prepared it, and also searched it out,
Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
28 And He says to man: Behold, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.”
And to man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
