Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
There are silver mines and places where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
Iron is extracted from the earth and copper is smelted from its ore.
3 Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
Miners take lamps into the darkness underground and search for ore as far as they can go in the shadows and the gloom.
4 He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
They dig a mineshaft far from where people live or anyone ever goes. They swing from ropes that hang in the pits.
5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread. Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
Bread comes from the earth, but underneath it looks as if it has been turned upside-down by fire.
6 Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
Here the rocks contain lapis lazuli and the dust contains gold.
7 That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
No birds of prey can see these paths, no falcon's eye can perceive.
8 The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
No wild beasts have passed that way; the lion has not walked there.
9 He puts his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
Miners attack the hard rock; they overturn the roots of mountains.
10 He cuts out channels amongst the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
They tunnel through the rock, looking carefully for every precious stone.
11 He binds the streams that they don’t trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
They dam the sources of the rivers, and bring to light what is hidden.
12 “But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
But where can wisdom be found? Where is the place to gain understanding?
13 Man doesn’t know its price, and it isn’t found in the land of the living.
Human beings do not know the way to wisdom; it is not found among the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’ The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’
The deep waters say, ‘It's not here,’ and the sea says, ‘It's not here either.’
15 It can’t be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.
It cannot be bought with gold; nor can it be purchased with silver.
16 It can’t be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
Its value cannot be measured, even with the gold of Ophir; it is more precious than onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Gold and glass can’t equal it, neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
Gold or fine glass cannot compare with wisdom; it cannot be exchanged for gold jewelry.
18 No mention will be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
Coral and crystal are not worth mentioning; the price of wisdom is far above rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it. It won’t be valued with pure gold.
Topaz from Ethiopia can't compare with it; it cannot be bought with the purest gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?
So where does wisdom come from? Where is the place to gain understanding?
21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
Wisdom is hidden from the sight of all living things, even the birds of the air cannot see it.
22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumour of it with our ears.’
Abaddon and Death say, ‘We've only heard a rumor of it.’
23 “God understands its way, and he knows its place.
Only God understands the path to wisdom; he knows where it is found.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
For he looks to the very end of the earth; he sees everything under heaven.
25 He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
He decided how strong the wind should blow, and regulated the waters.
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
He set a limit for the rain and made a path for the lightning.
27 then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
Then he considered wisdom. He examined it, gave it his approval, and declared it good.
28 To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
He said to humankind, ‘To reverence the Lord is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
