Job 28
1 Habet argentum, venarum suarum principia: et auro locus est, in quo conflatur.
Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
2 Ferrum de terra tollitur: et lapis solutus calore, in æs vertitur.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is molten out of the stone.
3 Tempus posuit tenebris, et universorum finem ipse considerat, lapidem quoque caliginis, et umbram mortis.
Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out to the furthest bound the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4 Dividit torrens a populo peregrinante, eos, quos oblitus est pes egentis hominis, et invios.
He breaks open a shaft away from where men sojourn, paths forgotten by the foot. They hang afar from men; they swing to and fro.
5 Terra, de qua oriebatur panis in loco suo, igni subversa est.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread, and underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6 Locus sapphiri lapides eius, et glebæ illius aurum.
The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.
7 Semitam ignoravit avis, nec intuitus est eam oculus vulturis.
No bird of prey knows that path, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 Non calcaverunt eam filii institorum, nec pertransivit per eam leæna.
The proud beasts have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed thereby.
9 Ad silicem extendit manum suam, subvertit a radicibus montes.
He puts forth his hand upon the flinty rock. He overturns the mountains by the roots.
10 In petris rivos excidit, et omne pretiosum vidit oculus eius.
He cuts out channels among the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 Profunda quoque fluviorum scrutatus est, et abscondita in lucem produxit.
He binds the streams that they not trickle. And the thing that is hid he brings forth to light.
12 Sapientia vero ubi invenitur? et quis est locus intelligentiæ?
But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 Nescit homo pretium eius, nec invenitur in terra suaviter viventium.
Man does not know the price of it, nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 Abyssus dicit: Non est in me: et mare loquitur: Non est mecum.
The deep says, It is not in me. And the sea says, It is not with me.
15 Non dabitur aurum obrizum pro ea, nec appendetur argentum in commutatione eius.
It cannot be gotten for gold, nor shall silver be weighed for the price of it.
16 Non conferetur tinctis Indiæ coloribus, nec lapidi sardonycho pretiosissimo, vel sapphiro.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 Non adæquabitur ei aurum vel vitrum, nec commutabuntur pro ea vasa auri:
Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 Excelsa et eminentia non memorabuntur comparatione eius: trahitur autem sapientia de occultis.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal. Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 Non adæquabitur ei topazius de Æthiopia, nec tincturæ mundissimæ componetur.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, nor shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Unde ergo sapientia venit? et quis est locus intelligentiæ?
Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding?
21 Abscondita est ab oculis omnium viventium, volucres quoque cæli latet.
Since it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept closed from the birds of the heavens.
22 Perditio et mors dixerunt: Auribus nostris audivimus famam eius.
Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.
23 Deus intelligit viam eius, et ipse novit locum illius.
God understands the way of it, and he knows the place of it.
24 Ipse enim fines mundi intuetur: et omnia, quæ sub cælo sunt, respicit.
For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven,
25 Qui fecit ventis pondus, et aquas appendit in mensura.
to make a weight for the wind. Yea, he distributes the waters by measure.
26 Quando ponebat pluviis legem, et viam procellis sonantibus:
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 Tunc vidit illam, et enarravit, et præparavit, et investigavit.
then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yea, and searched it out.
28 Et dixit homini: Ecce timor Domini, ipsa est sapientia: et recedere a malo, intelligentia.
And to man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.
