Job 28
1 Surely there is a mine for silver, a place where they refine gold.
For there is a place for the silver, whence it comes, and a place for the gold, whence it is refined.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.
For iron comes out of the earth, and brass is hewn out like stone.
3 A man sets an end to darkness and searches out, to the farthest limit, the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.
He has set a bound to darkness, and he searches out every limit: a stone [is] darkness, and the shadow of death.
4 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.
There is a cutting off the torrent by reason of dust: so they that forget the right way are weakened; they are removed from [among] men.
5 As for the earth, out of which comes bread, it is turned up below as if by fire.
[As for] the earth, out of it shall come bread: under it has been turned up as it were fire.
6 Its stones are the place where sapphires are found, and its dust contains gold.
Her stones are the place of the sapphire: and [her] dust [supplies] man with gold.
7 No bird of prey knows the path to it, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
[There is] a path, the fowl has not known it, neither has the eye of the vulture seen it:
8 The proud animals have not walked such a path, nor has the fierce lion passed there.
neither have the sons of the proud trodden it, a lion has not passed upon it.
9 A man lays his hand on the flinty rock; he overturns mountains by their roots.
He has stretched forth his hand on the sharp [rock], and turned up mountains by the roots:
10 He cuts out channels among the rocks; his eye sees every valuable thing there.
and he has interrupted the whirlpools of rivers, and mine eye has seen every precious thing.
11 He ties up the streams so they do not run; what is hidden there he brings out to the light.
And he has laid bare the depths of rivers, and has brought his power to light.
12 Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
But whence has wisdom been discovered? and what is the place of knowledge?
13 Man does not know its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.
A mortal has not known its way, neither indeed has it been discovered among men.
14 The deep waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
The depth said, It is not in me: and the sea said, It is not with me.
15 It cannot be gotten for gold; neither can silver be weighed as its price.
One shall not give fine gold instead of it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it.
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.
Neither shall it be compared with gold of Sophir, with the precious onyx and sapphire.
17 Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth; neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
Gold and crystal shall not be equalled to it, neither shall vessels of gold be its exchange.
18 No mention is worth making of coral or jasper; indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.
Coral and fine pearl shall not be mentioned: but do you esteem wisdom above the most precious things.
19 The topaz of Cush does not equal it; neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equalled to it; it shall not be compared with pure gold.
20 From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
Whence then is wisdom found? and of what kind is the place of understanding?
21 Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.
It has escaped the notice of every man, and has been hidden from the birds of the sky.
22 Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'
Destruction and Death said, We have heard the report of it.
23 God understands the way to it; he knows its place.
God has well ordered the way of it, and he knows the place of it.
24 For he looks to the very ends of the earth and sees under all the heavens.
For he surveys the whole [earth] under heaven, knowing the things in the earth:
25 He made the force of the wind and parceled out the waters by measure.
all that he has made; the weight of the winds, the measures of the water.
26 He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunder.
When he made [them], thus he saw and numbered them, and made a way for the pealing of the thunder.
27 Then he saw wisdom and announced it; he established it, indeed, and he examined it.
Then he saw it, and declared it: he prepared it [and] traced it out.
28 To people he said, 'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; to depart from evil is understanding.'”
And he said to man, Behold, godliness is wisdom: and to abstain from evil is understanding.
