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].
Surely there is a mine for silver, a place where they refine gold.
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 taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.
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.
A man sets an end to darkness and searches out, to the farthest limit, the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.
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].
He breaks open a shaft away from where people live, places that are forgotten by anyone's foot. He hangs far away from people; he swings to and fro.
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.
As for the earth, out of which comes bread, it is turned up below as if 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.
Its stones are the place where sapphires are found, and its dust contains gold.
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.
No bird of prey knows the path to it, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 Lions or [other] proud wild animals have not walked on the roads near those mines.
The proud animals have not walked such a path, nor has the fierce lion passed there.
9 Miners tear apart [MTY] very hard rock; [it is as though] they turn the mountains upside down [to get the ore].
A man lays his hand on the flinty rock; he overturns mountains by their roots.
10 They cut tunnels through the rocks, and they find (precious/very valuable) things.
He cuts out channels among the rocks; his eye sees every valuable thing there.
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 ties up the streams so they do not run; what is hidden there he brings out to the light.
12 “But wisdom: Where can people find that? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
Where will wisdom be found? 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 does not know its price; neither is it 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 waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 [People] cannot buy wisdom by paying for it with silver or gold.
It cannot be gotten for gold; neither can silver be weighed as its price.
16 Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from Ophir [land] or other very valuable stones.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.
17 It is worth much more than gold or beautiful glass, worth more than vases made from fine gold.
Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth; neither can it be exchanged for 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 is worth making of coral or jasper; indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.
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 Cush does not equal it; neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
20 “So, where does wisdom come from? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
21 No living humans can see it [MTY]; and birds cannot see it while they are flying [MTY].
Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.
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 just a rumor about it with our ears.'
23 God [is the only one who] knows how to find wisdom; he knows where it is,
God understands the way to it; he knows its 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 looks to the very ends of the earth and sees under all the heavens.
25 When he decided how strongly the winds should blow, and how much rain would be in the clouds,
He made the force of the wind and parceled 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],
He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunder.
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 he saw wisdom and announced it; he established it, indeed, and he examined it.
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.’”
To people he said, 'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; to depart from evil is understanding.'”
