איוב 28
| כי יש לכסף מוצא ומקום לזהב יזקו׃ | 1 |
“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].
| ברזל מעפר יקח ואבן יצוק נחושה׃ | 2 |
People dig iron [ore] out of the ground, and they (smelt copper ore/heat copper ore to get the copper from it).
| קץ שם לחשך ולכל תכלית הוא חוקר אבן אפל וצלמות׃ | 3 |
Men use lamps while they work far down under the ground to search for the ore inside the mines where it is very dark.
| פרץ נחל מעם גר הנשכחים מני רגל דלו מאנוש נעו׃ | 4 |
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].
| ארץ ממנה יצא לחם ותחתיה נהפך כמו אש׃ | 5 |
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.
| מקום ספיר אבניה ועפרת זהב לו׃ | 6 |
The stones [that are dug from under the ground] contain (sapphires/very valuable blue stones), and the dirt contains bits of gold.
| נתיב לא ידעו עיט ולא שזפתו עין איה׃ | 7 |
[Some birds have very good eyes, ] but even hawks do not know [where the mines are], and falcons/vultures have not seen those places.
| לא הדריכהו בני שחץ לא עדה עליו שחל׃ | 8 |
Lions or [other] proud wild animals have not walked on the roads near those mines.
| בחלמיש שלח ידו הפך משרש הרים׃ | 9 |
Miners tear apart [MTY] very hard rock; [it is as though] they turn the mountains upside down [to get the ore].
| בצורות יארים בקע וכל יקר ראתה עינו׃ | 10 |
They cut tunnels through the rocks, and they find (precious/very valuable) things.
| מבכי נהרות חבש ותעלמה יצא אור׃ | 11 |
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].
| והחכמה מאין תמצא ואי זה מקום בינה׃ | 12 |
“But wisdom: Where can people find that? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
| לא ידע אנוש ערכה ולא תמצא בארץ החיים׃ | 13 |
Humans do not know where to find it; no one can find it [here on this earth] where they are living.
| תהום אמר לא בי היא וים אמר אין עמדי׃ | 14 |
[It is as though] water that is deep [inside the earth] and [water that is in] the seas say [PRS], ‘Wisdom is not here!’
| לא יתן סגור תחתיה ולא ישקל כסף מחירה׃ | 15 |
[People] cannot buy wisdom by paying for it with silver or gold.
| לא תסלה בכתם אופיר בשהם יקר וספיר׃ | 16 |
Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from Ophir [land] or other very valuable stones.
| לא יערכנה זהב וזכוכית ותמורתה כלי פז׃ | 17 |
It is worth much more than gold or beautiful glass, worth more than vases made from fine gold.
| ראמות וגביש לא יזכר ומשך חכמה מפנינים׃ | 18 |
Wisdom is worth more than coral or crystal/pure quartz; the price of wisdom is higher/more than the price of pearls.
| לא יערכנה פטדת כוש בכתם טהור לא תסלה׃ | 19 |
The prices of (topaz/very valuable yellow stones) from Ethiopia and of pure gold are lower/less than the price of wisdom.
| והחכמה מאין תבוא ואי זה מקום בינה׃ | 20 |
“So, where does wisdom come from? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
| ונעלמה מעיני כל חי ומעוף השמים נסתרה׃ | 21 |
No living humans can see it [MTY]; and birds cannot see it while they are flying [MTY].
| אבדון ומות אמרו באזנינו שמענו שמעה׃ | 22 |
[It is as though] the places where people go after they die say [PRS], ‘We have only heard rumors about [where to find wisdom].’
| אלהים הבין דרכה והוא ידע את מקומה׃ | 23 |
God [is the only one who] knows how to find wisdom; he knows where it is,
| כי הוא לקצות הארץ יביט תחת כל השמים יראה׃ | 24 |
because he can see things even in the most remote/distant places on the earth; he can see everything that is below the sky.
| לעשות לרוח משקל ומים תכן במדה׃ | 25 |
When he decided how strongly the winds should blow, and how much rain would be in the clouds,
| בעשתו למטר חק ודרך לחזיז קלות׃ | 26 |
and when he decided where rain [should fall], and what path lightning should take [from the clouds down to the ground],
| אז ראה ויספרה הכינה וגם חקרה׃ | 27 |
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).
| ויאמר לאדם הן יראת אדני היא חכמה וסור מרע בינה׃ | 28 |
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.’”
