Job 28
1 habet argentum venarum suarum principia et auro locus est in quo conflatur
Surely there is a mine for silver, a place where they refine gold.
2 ferrum de terra tollitur et lapis solutus calore in aes vertitur
Iron is taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.
3 tempus posuit tenebris et universorum finem ipse considerat lapidem quoque caliginis et umbram mortis
A man sets an end to darkness and searches out, to the farthest limit, the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.
4 dividit torrens a populo peregrinante eos quos oblitus est pes egentis hominum et invios
He breaks open a shaft away from where people live, places that are forgotten by anyone's foot. He hangs far away from people; he swings to and fro.
5 terra de qua oriebatur panis in loco suo igne subversa est
As for the earth, out of which comes bread, it is turned up below as if by fire.
6 locus sapphyri lapides eius et glebae illius aurum
Its stones are the place where sapphires are found, and its dust contains gold.
7 semitam ignoravit avis nec intuitus est oculus vulturis
No bird of prey knows the path to it, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 non calcaverunt eam filii institorum nec pertransivit per eam leaena
The proud animals have not walked such a path, nor has the fierce lion passed there.
9 ad silicem extendit manum suam subvertit a radicibus montes
A man lays his hand on the flinty rock; he overturns mountains by their roots.
10 in petris rivos excidit et omne pretiosum vidit oculus eius
He cuts out channels among the rocks; his eye sees every valuable thing there.
11 profunda quoque fluviorum scrutatus est et abscondita produxit in lucem
He ties up the streams so they do not run; what is hidden there he brings out to the light.
12 sapientia vero ubi invenitur et quis est locus intellegentiae
Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13 nescit homo pretium eius nec invenitur in terra suaviter viventium
Man does not know its price; 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 waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 non dabitur aurum obrizum pro ea nec adpendetur argentum in commutatione eius
It cannot be gotten for gold; neither can silver be weighed as its price.
16 non conferetur tinctis Indiae coloribus nec lapidi sardonico pretiosissimo vel sapphyro
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.
17 non adaequabitur ei aurum vel vitrum nec commutabuntur pro ea vasa auri
Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth; neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 excelsa et eminentia non memorabuntur conparatione eius trahitur autem sapientia de occultis
No mention is worth making of coral or jasper; indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.
19 non adaequabitur ei topazium de Aethiopia nec tincturae mundissimae conponetur
The topaz of Cush does not equal it; neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
20 unde ergo sapientia veniet et quis est locus intellegentiae
From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
21 abscondita est ab oculis omnium viventium volucres quoque caeli latet
Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.
22 perditio et mors dixerunt auribus nostris audivimus famam eius
Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'
23 Deus intellegit viam eius et ipse novit locum illius
God understands the way to it; he knows its place.
24 ipse enim fines mundi intuetur et omnia quae sub caelo sunt respicit
For he looks to the very ends of the earth and sees under all the heavens.
25 qui fecit ventis pondus et aquas adpendit mensura
He made the force of the wind and parceled out the waters by measure.
26 quando ponebat pluviis legem et viam procellis sonantibus
He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunder.
27 tunc vidit illam et enarravit et praeparavit et investigavit
Then he saw wisdom and announced it; he established it, indeed, and he examined it.
28 et dixit homini ecce timor Domini ipsa est sapientia et recedere a malo intellegentia
To people he said, 'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; to depart from evil is understanding.'”
