Job 28
1 Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;
“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].
2 Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.
People dig iron [ore] out of the ground, and they (smelt copper ore/heat copper ore to get the copper from it).
3 An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.
Men use lamps while they work far down under the ground to search for the ore inside the mines where it is very dark.
4 A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.
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].
5 The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.
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.
6 A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it hath dust of gold.
The stones [that are dug from under the ground] contain (sapphires/very valuable blue stones), and the dirt contains bits of gold.
7 A path — not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,
[Some birds have very good eyes, ] but even hawks do not know [where the mines are], and falcons/vultures have not seen those places.
8 Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.
Lions or [other] proud wild animals have not walked on the roads near those mines.
9 Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.
Miners tear apart [MTY] very hard rock; [it is as though] they turn the mountains upside down [to get the ore].
10 Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.
They cut tunnels through the rocks, and they find (precious/very valuable) things.
11 From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out [to] light.
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].
12 And the wisdom — whence is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
“But wisdom: Where can people find that? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
13 Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
Humans do not know where to find it; no one can find it [here on this earth] where they are living.
14 The deep hath said, 'It [is] not in me,' And the sea hath said, 'It is not with me.'
[It is as though] water that is deep [inside the earth] and [water that is in] the seas say [PRS], ‘Wisdom is not here!’
15 Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed — its price.
[People] cannot buy wisdom by paying for it with silver or gold.
16 It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from Ophir [land] or other very valuable stones.
17 Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.
It is worth much more than gold or beautiful glass, worth more than vases made from fine gold.
18 Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies.
Wisdom is worth more than coral or crystal/pure quartz; the price of wisdom is higher/more than the price of pearls.
19 Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.
The prices of (topaz/very valuable yellow stones) from Ethiopia and of pure gold are lower/less than the price of wisdom.
20 And the wisdom — whence doth it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
“So, where does wisdom come from? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
21 It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.
No living humans can see it [MTY]; and birds cannot see it while they are flying [MTY].
22 Destruction and death have said: 'With our ears we have heard its fame.'
[It is as though] the places where people go after they die say [PRS], ‘We have only heard rumors about [where to find wisdom].’
23 God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.
God [is the only one who] knows how to find wisdom; he knows where it is,
24 For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,
because he can see things even in the most remote/distant places on the earth; he can see everything that is below the sky.
25 To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.
When he decided how strongly the winds should blow, and how much rain would be in the clouds,
26 In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,
and when he decided where rain [should fall], and what path lightning should take [from the clouds down to the ground],
27 Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,
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).
28 And He saith to man: — 'Lo, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.'
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.’”
