< Job 28 >

1 Surely there is a mine for silver, a place where they refine gold.
For truly there is a source for the silver, and a place for the gold which men refine.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.
Iron is taken out of the dust, and the stone is melted into copper.
3 A man sets an end to darkness and searches out, to the farthest limit, the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.
An end doth he set to darkness, and the very utmost limit doth he search out, the stones of darkness, and of 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.
He breaketh a channel far from the inhabited place; those of unsteady foot, the poorest of men move [there about].
5 As for the earth, out of which comes bread, it is turned up below as if by fire.
The earth, out of which cometh forth bread, is under its surface turned up as it were with fire.
6 Its stones are the place where sapphires are found, and its dust contains gold.
Her stones are the place whence the sapphire cometh; and golden dust is also there;
7 No bird of prey knows the path to it, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
[On the] path which no bird of prey knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not surveyed;
8 The proud animals have not walked such a path, nor has the fierce lion passed there.
[Which] ravenous beasts have never trodden, over which the lion hath never passed.
9 A man lays his hand on the flinty rock; he overturns mountains by their roots.
To the flinty rock he stretcheth forth his hand; he overturneth the mountains from the root.
10 He cuts out channels among the rocks; his eye sees every valuable thing there.
Amid rocks he heweth out canals: and every precious thing doth his eye behold.
11 He ties up the streams so they do not run; what is hidden there he brings out to the light.
The various droppings of water he uniteth into streams, and what is hidden he bringeth forth to light.
12 Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
But wisdom—where shall she he found? and where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.
Man knoweth not her value: and she is not to be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
The deep saith, Not in me is she: and the sea saith, She is not with me.
15 It cannot be gotten for gold; neither can silver be weighed as its price.
No fine gold can be given in lieu of her, and silver cannot be weighed out as her price.
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.
She cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth; neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
She cannot be estimated after gold and glass; and not in exchange for her [can] vessels of refined gold [be taken.]
18 No mention is worth making of coral or jasper; indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.
Coral and crystal will not be thought of; and the value of wisdom is above pearls.
19 The topaz of Cush does not equal it; neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
She cannot be estimated after the topaz of Ethiopia, nor can she be valued with pure gold.
20 From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
But wisdom—whence cometh she? and where 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.
Yea, she is hidden from the eyes of all living, and from the fowls of the heavens is she concealed.
22 Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'
Perdition and death say, With our ears have we heard a report of her.
23 God understands the way to it; he knows its place.
God [alone] understandeth her way, and he knoweth her place;
24 For he looks to the very ends of the earth and sees under all the heavens.
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, [whatever is] under the whole heaven doth he see.
25 He made the force of the wind and parceled out the waters by measure.
When he imparted weight unto the wind; and [when] the waters he established by measure;
26 He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunder.
When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the lightning of [his] thunders;
27 Then he saw wisdom and announced it; he established it, indeed, and he examined it.
Then did he see her, and make her known; he established her, and also searched her out.
28 To people he said, 'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; to depart from evil is understanding.'”
And he said unto man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to eschew evil is understanding.

< Job 28 >