Job 28
1 Truly there is a vein for silver, And a place for gold, which men refine.
"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
2 Iron is obtained from earth, And stone is melted into copper.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
3 Man putteth an end to darkness; He searcheth to the lowest depths For the stone of darkness and the shadow of death.
Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4 From the place where they dwell they open a shaft; Forgotten by the feet, They hang down, they swing away from men.
He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
5 The earth, out of which cometh bread, Is torn up underneath, as it were by fire.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread; Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6 Her stones are the place of sapphires, And she hath clods of gold for man.
Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
7 The path thereto no bird knoweth, And the vulture's eye hath not seen it;
That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 The fierce wild beast hath not trodden it; The lion hath not passed over it.
The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
9 Man layeth his hand upon the rock; He upturneth mountains from their roots;
He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
10 He cleaveth out streams in the rocks, And his eye seeth every precious thing;
He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
11 He bindeth up the streams, that they trickle not, And bringeth hidden things to light.
He binds the streams that they do not trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings forth to light.
12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
"But where shall wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof, Nor can it be found in the land of the living.
Man doesn't know its price; Neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.
The deep says, 'It isn't in me.' The sea says, 'It isn't with me.'
15 It cannot be gotten for gold, Nor shall silver be weighed out as the price thereof.
It can't be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for its price.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx or the sapphire.
It can't be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 Gold and crystal are not to be compared with it; Nor can it be purchased with jewels of fine gold.
Gold and glass can't equal it, neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; For wisdom is more precious than pearls.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be purchased with pure gold.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
From where then comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
21 Since it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the fowls of the air.
Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
22 Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.
Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'
23 God knoweth the way to it; He knoweth its dwelling-place.
"God understands its way, and he knows its place.
24 For he seeth to the ends of the earth, And surveyeth all things under the whole heaven.
For he looks to the farthest parts of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
25 When he gave the winds their weight, And meted out the waters by measure;
He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
26 When he prescribed a law to the rain, And a path to the thunder-flash, —
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder;
27 Then did he see it, and make it known; He established it, and searched it out.
then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
28 But he said unto man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.
To man he said, 'Look, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'"
