Ἰώβ 28
1 ἔστιν γὰρ ἀργυρίῳ τόπος ὅθεν γίνεται τόπος δὲ χρυσίῳ ὅθεν διηθεῖται
Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.
2 σίδηρος μὲν γὰρ ἐκ γῆς γίνεται χαλκὸς δὲ ἴσα λίθῳ λατομεῖται
Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.
3 τάξιν ἔθετο σκότει καὶ πᾶν πέρας αὐτὸς ἐξακριβάζεται λίθος σκοτία καὶ σκιὰ θανάτου
[Man] setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4 διακοπὴ χειμάρρου ἀπὸ κονίας οἱ δὲ ἐπιλανθανόμενοι ὁδὸν δικαίαν ἠσθένησαν ἐκ βροτῶν
He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; They are forgotten of the foot; They hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.
5 γῆ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐξελεύσεται ἄρτος ὑποκάτω αὐτῆς ἐστράφη ὡσεὶ πῦρ
As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6 τόπος σαπφείρου οἱ λίθοι αὐτῆς καὶ χῶμα χρυσίον αὐτῷ
The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold.
7 τρίβος οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτὴν πετεινόν καὶ οὐ παρέβλεψεν αὐτὴν ὀφθαλμὸς γυπός
That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon’s eye seen it:
8 οὐκ ἐπάτησαν αὐτὴν υἱοὶ ἀλαζόνων οὐ παρῆλθεν ἐπ’ αὐτῆς λέων
The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby.
9 ἐν ἀκροτόμῳ ἐξέτεινεν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ κατέστρεψεν δὲ ἐκ ῥιζῶν ὄρη
He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.
10 δίνας δὲ ποταμῶν ἔρρηξεν πᾶν δὲ ἔντιμον εἶδέν μου ὁ ὀφθαλμός
He cutteth out channels among the rocks; And his eye seeth every precious thing.
11 βάθη δὲ ποταμῶν ἀνεκάλυψεν ἔδειξεν δὲ ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν εἰς φῶς
He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; And the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
12 ἡ δὲ σοφία πόθεν εὑρέθη ποῖος δὲ τόπος ἐστὶν τῆς ἐπιστήμης
But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 οὐκ οἶδεν βροτὸς ὁδὸν αὐτῆς οὐδὲ μὴ εὑρεθῇ ἐν ἀνθρώποις
Man knoweth not the price thereof; Neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 ἄβυσσος εἶπεν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοί καὶ θάλασσα εἶπεν οὐκ ἔστιν μετ’ ἐμοῦ
The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 οὐ δώσει συγκλεισμὸν ἀντ’ αὐτῆς καὶ οὐ σταθήσεται ἀργύριον ἀντάλλαγμα αὐτῆς
It cannot be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16 καὶ οὐ συμβασταχθήσεται χρυσίῳ Ωφιρ ἐν ὄνυχι τιμίῳ καὶ σαπφείρῳ
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 οὐκ ἰσωθήσεται αὐτῇ χρυσίον καὶ ὕαλος καὶ τὸ ἄλλαγμα αὐτῆς σκεύη χρυσᾶ
Gold and glass cannot equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 μετέωρα καὶ γαβις οὐ μνησθήσεται καὶ ἕλκυσον σοφίαν ὑπὲρ τὰ ἐσώτατα
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 οὐκ ἰσωθήσεται αὐτῇ τοπάζιον Αἰθιοπίας χρυσίῳ καθαρῷ οὐ συμβασταχθήσεται
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 ἡ δὲ σοφία πόθεν εὑρέθη ποῖος δὲ τόπος ἐστὶν τῆς συνέσεως
Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21 λέληθεν πάντα ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἀπὸ πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐκρύβη
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the heavens.
22 ἡ ἀπώλεια καὶ ὁ θάνατος εἶπαν ἀκηκόαμεν δὲ αὐτῆς τὸ κλέος
Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.
23 ὁ θεὸς εὖ συνέστησεν αὐτῆς τὴν ὁδόν αὐτὸς δὲ οἶδεν τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς
God understandeth the way thereof, And he knoweth the place thereof.
24 αὐτὸς γὰρ τὴν ὑπ’ οὐρανὸν πᾶσαν ἐφορᾷ εἰδὼς τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ πάντα ἃ ἐποίησεν
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, And seeth under the whole heaven;
25 ἀνέμων σταθμὸν ὕδατός τε μέτρα
To make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.
26 ὅτε ἐποίησεν οὕτως ὑετὸν ἠρίθμησεν καὶ ὁδὸν ἐν τινάγματι φωνάς
When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder;
27 τότε εἶδεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐξηγήσατο αὐτήν ἑτοιμάσας ἐξιχνίασεν
Then did he see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out.
28 εἶπεν δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ ἰδοὺ ἡ θεοσέβειά ἐστιν σοφία τὸ δὲ ἀπέχεσθαι ἀπὸ κακῶν ἐστιν ἐπιστήμη
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.
