Job 28
1 “It is true that there are places where men dig to find silver, and there are places where people refine/purify gold [that they have dug].
| لَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ هُنَاكَ مَنْجَماً لِلْفِضَّةِ وَبَوْتَقَةً لِتَمْحِيصِ الذَّهَبِ. | ١ |
2 People dig iron [ore] out of the ground, and they (smelt copper ore/heat copper ore to get the copper from it).
| يُسْتَخْرَجُ الْحَدِيدُ مِنَ التُّرَابِ، وَمِنَ الْمَعْدَنِ الْخَامِ يُصْهَرُ النُّحَاسُ. | ٢ |
3 Men use lamps while they work far down under the ground to search for the ore inside the mines where it is very dark.
| قَدْ وَضَعَ الإِنْسَانُ حَدّاً لِلظُّلْمَةِ، وَبَحَثَ فِي أَقْصَى طَرَفٍ عَنِ الْمَعْدَنِ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ الْعَمِيقَةِ. | ٣ |
4 They dig (shafts/narrow holes very deep down into the ground) in places that are far from where people live, where travelers do not go. They work far away from [other] people, swinging back and forth on ropes [as they descend into the mine shafts].
| حَفَرُوا مَنْجَماً بَعِيداً، فِي مَوْضِعٍ مُقْفِرٍ مِنَ السُّكَّانِ، هَجَرَتْهُ أَقْدَامُ النَّاسِ، وَتَدَلُّوْا فِيهِ. | ٤ |
5 Food grows on the surface of the ground, but down under the ground, [where there is no food, ] the miners make fires to break apart the rocks.
| أَمَّا الأَرْضُ الَّتِي تُنْبِتُ لَنَا خَيْراً فَقَدِ انْقَلَبَ أَسْفَلُهَا كَمَا بِنَارٍ. | ٥ |
6 The stones [that are dug from under the ground] contain (sapphires/very valuable blue stones), and the dirt contains bits of gold.
| يَكْمُنُ فِي صُخُورِهَا الْيَاقُوتُ الأَزْرَقُ، وَفِي تُرَابِهَا الذَّهَبُ. | ٦ |
7 [Some birds have very good eyes, ] but even hawks do not know [where the mines are], and falcons/vultures have not seen those places.
| لَمْ يَهْتَدِ إِلَى طَرِيقِهَا طَيْرٌ جَارِحٌ، وَلَمْ تُبْصِرْهُ عَيْنُ صَقْرٍ. | ٧ |
8 Lions or [other] proud wild animals have not walked on the roads near those mines.
| لَمْ تَطَأْهُ أَقْدَامُ الضَّوَارِي أَوْ يَسْلُكْ فِيهِ اللَّيْثُ. | ٨ |
9 Miners tear apart [MTY] very hard rock; [it is as though] they turn the mountains upside down [to get the ore].
| امْتَدَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ إِلَى الصَّوَّانِ، وَقَلَبُوا الْجِبَالَ مِنْ أُصُولِهَا. | ٩ |
10 They cut tunnels through the rocks, and they find (precious/very valuable) things.
| حَفَروا مَمَرَّاتٍ فِي صُخُورِهَا، وَعَايَنَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ كُلَّ ثَمِينٍ. | ١٠ |
11 They dam up small streams in order that water does not flow, and they bring up into the light valuable things that are hidden [in the ground and in the streams].
| سَدُّوا مَجَارِيَ الأَنْهَارِ، وَأَبْرَزُوا مَكْنُونَاتِ قِيعَانِهَا إِلَى النُّورِ. | ١١ |
12 “But wisdom: Where can people find that? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
| وَلَكِنْ أَيْنَ تُوجَدُ الْحِكْمَةُ؟ وَأَيْنَ مَقَرُّ الْفِطْنَةِ؟ | ١٢ |
13 Humans do not know where to find it; no one can find it [here on this earth] where they are living.
| لَا يُدْرِكُ الإِنْسَانُ قِيمَتَهَا، وَلا يُمْكِنُ أَنْ تُوجَدَ فِي أَرْضِ الأَحْيَاءِ. | ١٣ |
14 [It is as though] water that is deep [inside the earth] and [water that is in] the seas say [PRS], ‘Wisdom is not here!’
| يَقُولُ الْغَمْرُ: لَيْسَتْ هِيَ فِيَّ؛ وَيَقُولُ الْبَحْرُ إِنِّي لَا أَمْلِكُهَا. | ١٤ |
15 [People] cannot buy wisdom by paying for it with silver or gold.
| لَا تُقَايَضُ بِالذَّهَبِ الْخَالِصِ، وَلا تُوْزَنُ الْفِضَّةُ ثَمَناً لَهَا. | ١٥ |
16 Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from Ophir [land] or other very valuable stones.
| لَا تُثَمَّنُ بِذَهَبِ أُوفِيرَ أَوْ بِالْجَزْعِ الْكَرِيمِ أَوْ بِالْيَاقُوتِ الأَزْرَقِ. | ١٦ |
17 It is worth much more than gold or beautiful glass, worth more than vases made from fine gold.
| لَا يُعَادِلُهَا ذَهَبٌ أَوْ زُجَاجٌ، وَلا تُسْتَبْدَلُ بِمُجَوْهَرَاتٍ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ الْخَالِصِ. | ١٧ |
18 Wisdom is worth more than coral or crystal/pure quartz; the price of wisdom is higher/more than the price of pearls.
| لَا يُذْكَرُ مَعَهَا الْمُرْجَانُ أَوِ الْبَلُّوْرُ، فَثَمَنُ الْحِكْمَةِ أَغْلَى مِنْ كُلِّ اللَّآلِئِ. | ١٨ |
19 The prices of (topaz/very valuable yellow stones) from Ethiopia and of pure gold are lower/less than the price of wisdom.
| لَا يُقَارَنُ بِها يَاقُوتُ كُوشٍ وَلا تُثَمَّنُ بِالذَّهَبِ النَّقِيِّ. | ١٩ |
20 “So, where does wisdom come from? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
| إِذاً مِنْ أَيْنَ تَأْتِي الْحِكْمَةُ، وَأَيْنَ هُوَ مَقَرُّ الْفِطْنَةِ؟ | ٢٠ |
21 No living humans can see it [MTY]; and birds cannot see it while they are flying [MTY].
| إِنَّهَا مَحْجُوبَةٌ عَنْ عَيْنَيْ كُلِّ حَيٍّ، وَخَافِيَةٌ عَنْ طَيْرِ السَّمَاءِ. | ٢١ |
22 [It is as though] the places where people go after they die say [PRS], ‘We have only heard rumors about [where to find wisdom].’
| الْهَلاكُ وَالْمَوْتُ قَالا: قَدْ بَلَغَتْ مَسَامِعَنَا شَائِعَةٌ عَنْهَا. | ٢٢ |
23 God [is the only one who] knows how to find wisdom; he knows where it is,
| اللهُ وَحْدَهُ يَعْلَمُ الطَّرِيقَ إِلَيْهَا وَيَعْرِفُ مَقَرَّهَا، | ٢٣ |
24 because he can see things even in the most remote/distant places on the earth; he can see everything that is below the sky.
| لأَنَّهُ يَرَى أَقْصَى الأَرْضِ وَيُحِيطُ بِجَمِيعِ مَا تَحْتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ. | ٢٤ |
25 When he decided how strongly the winds should blow, and how much rain would be in the clouds,
| عِنْدَمَا جَعَلَ لِلرِّيحِ وَزْناً وَعَايَرَ الْمِيَاهَ بِمِقْيَاسٍ، | ٢٥ |
26 and when he decided where rain [should fall], and what path lightning should take [from the clouds down to the ground],
| عِنْدَمَا وَضَعَ سُنَناً لِلْمَطَرِ وَمَمَرّاً لِصَوَاعِقِ الرُّعُودِ، | ٢٦ |
27 at that time he saw wisdom and decided that it is extremely valuable. He examined it and (approved it/said that it was very good).
| آنَئِذٍ رَآهَا وَأَذَاعَ خَبَرَهَا وَأَثْبَتَهَا وَفَحَصَهَا، | ٢٧ |
28 And [then] he said to humans, ‘Listen! To have an awesome respect for me is [what will enable you to become] wise; and to truly understand everything, you must first turn away from doing what is evil.’”
| ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلإِنْسَانِ: انْظُرْ، إِنَّ مَخَافَةَ الرَّبِّ هِيَ الْحِكْمَةُ، وَتَفَادِي الشَّرِّ هُوَ الْفِطْنَةُ». | ٢٨ |
