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].
Truly there is a vein for silver, And a place for gold, which men refine.
2 People dig iron [ore] out of the ground, and they (smelt copper ore/heat copper ore to get the copper from it).
Iron is obtained from earth, And stone is melted into copper.
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.
Man putteth an end to darkness; He searcheth to the lowest depths For the stone of darkness and the shadow of death.
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].
From the place where they dwell they open a shaft; Forgotten by the feet, They hang down, they swing away from men.
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.
The earth, out of which cometh bread, Is torn up underneath, as it were by fire.
6 The stones [that are dug from under the ground] contain (sapphires/very valuable blue stones), and the dirt contains bits of gold.
Her stones are the place of sapphires, And she hath clods of gold for man.
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.
The path thereto no bird knoweth, And the vulture's eye hath not seen it;
8 Lions or [other] proud wild animals have not walked on the roads near those mines.
The fierce wild beast hath not trodden it; The lion hath not passed over it.
9 Miners tear apart [MTY] very hard rock; [it is as though] they turn the mountains upside down [to get the ore].
Man layeth his hand upon the rock; He upturneth mountains from their roots;
10 They cut tunnels through the rocks, and they find (precious/very valuable) things.
He cleaveth out streams in the rocks, And his eye seeth every precious thing;
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].
He bindeth up the streams, that they trickle not, And bringeth hidden things to light.
12 “But wisdom: Where can people find that? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 Humans do not know where to find it; no one can find it [here on this earth] where they are living.
Man knoweth not the price thereof, Nor can it be found in the land of the living.
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!’
The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 [People] cannot buy wisdom by paying for it with silver or gold.
It cannot be gotten for gold, Nor shall silver be weighed out as the price thereof.
16 Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from Ophir [land] or other very valuable stones.
It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx or the sapphire.
17 It is worth much more than gold or beautiful glass, worth more than vases made from fine gold.
Gold and crystal are not to be compared with it; Nor can it be purchased with jewels of fine gold.
18 Wisdom is worth more than coral or crystal/pure quartz; the price of wisdom is higher/more than the price of pearls.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; For wisdom is more precious than pearls.
19 The prices of (topaz/very valuable yellow stones) from Ethiopia and of pure gold are lower/less than the price of wisdom.
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be purchased with pure gold.
20 “So, where does wisdom come from? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21 No living humans can see it [MTY]; and birds cannot see it while they are flying [MTY].
Since it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the fowls of the air.
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].’
Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.
23 God [is the only one who] knows how to find wisdom; he knows where it is,
God knoweth the way to it; He knoweth its dwelling-place.
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.
For he seeth to the ends of the earth, And surveyeth all things under the whole heaven.
25 When he decided how strongly the winds should blow, and how much rain would be in the clouds,
When he gave the winds their weight, And meted out the waters by measure;
26 and when he decided where rain [should fall], and what path lightning should take [from the clouds down to the ground],
When he prescribed a law to the rain, And a path to the thunder-flash, —
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).
Then did he see it, and make it known; He established it, and searched it out.
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.’”
But he said unto man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.
