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] setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth 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 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 Terra de qua oriebatur panis, in loco suo igni subversa est.
As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6 Locus sapphiri lapides ejus, et glebæ illius aurum.
The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold.
7 Semitam ignoravit avis, nec intuitus est eam oculus vulturis.
That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath 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 hath the fierce lion passed thereby.
9 Ad silicem extendit manum suam: subvertit a radicibus montes.
He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.
10 In petris rivos excidit, et omne pretiosum vidit oculus ejus.
He cutteth out channels among the rocks; And his eye seeth every precious thing.
11 Profunda quoque fluviorum scrutatus est, et abscondita in lucem produxit.
He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; And the thing that is hid bringeth he 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 ejus, nec invenitur in terra suaviter viventium.
Man knoweth not the price thereof; Neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 Abyssus dicit: Non est in me, et mare loquitur: Non est mecum.
The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 Non dabitur aurum obrizum pro ea, nec appendetur argentum in commutatione ejus.
It cannot be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
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, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 Excelsa et eminentia non memorabuntur comparatione ejus: 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, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Unde ergo sapientia venit? et quis est locus intelligentiæ?
Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21 Abscondita est ab oculis omnium viventium: volucres quoque cæli latet.
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the heavens.
22 Perditio et mors dixerunt: Auribus nostris audivimus famam ejus.
Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.
23 Deus intelligit viam ejus, et ipse novit locum illius.
God understandeth the way thereof, And he knoweth the place thereof.
24 Ipse enim fines mundi intuetur, et omnia quæ sub cælo sunt respicit.
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, And seeth under the whole heaven;
25 Qui fecit ventis pondus, et aquas appendit in mensura.
To make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out 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 did he see it, and declare 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 unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.
