Job 28
1 Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;
Silver hath beginnings of its veins, and gold hath a place wherein it is melted.
2 Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone melted with heat is turned into brass.
3 An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.
He hath set a time for darkness, and the end of all things he considereth, the stone also that is in the dark and the shadow of death.
4 A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.
The flood divideth from the people that are on their journey, those whom the food of the needy man hath forgotten, and who cannot be come at.
5 The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.
The land, out of which bread grew in its place, hath been overturned with fire.
6 A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it hath dust of gold.
The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and the clods of it are gold.
7 A path — not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,
The bird hath not known the path, neither hath the eye of the vulture beheld it.
8 Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.
The children of the merchants have not trodden it, neither hath the lioness passed by it.
9 Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.
He hath stretched forth his hand to the flint, he hath overturned mountains from the roots.
10 Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.
In the rocks he hath cut out rivers, and his eye hath seen every precious thing.
11 From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out [to] light.
The depths also of rivers he hath searched, and hidden things he hath brought forth to light.
12 And the wisdom — whence is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
But where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?
13 Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of them that live in delights.
14 The deep hath said, 'It [is] not in me,' And the sea hath said, 'It is not with me.'
The depth saith: It is not in me: and the sea saith: It is not with me.
15 Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed — its price.
The finest gold shall not purchase it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it.
16 It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
It shall not be compared with the dyed colours of India, or with the most precious stone sardonyx, or the sapphire.
17 Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.
Gold or crystal cannot equal it, neither shall any vessels of gold be changed for it.
18 Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies.
High and eminent things shall not be mentioned in comparison of it: but wisdom is drawn out of secret places.
19 Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it, neither shall it be compared to the cleanest dyeing.
20 And the wisdom — whence doth it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21 It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.
It is hid from the eyes of all living. and the fowls of the air know it not.
22 Destruction and death have said: 'With our ears we have heard its fame.'
Destruction and death have said: With our ears we have heard the fame thereof.
23 God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.
God understandeth the way of it, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,
For he beholdeth the ends of the world: and looketh on all things that are under heaven.
25 To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.
Who made a weight for the winds and weighed the waters by measure.
26 In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,
When he gave a law for the rain, and a way for the sounding storms.
27 Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,
Then he saw it, and declared, and prepared, and searched it.
28 And He saith to man: — 'Lo, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.'
And he said to man: Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil, is understanding.
