Job 28
1 La plata tiene sus yacimientos, y el oro un lugar donde refinarlo.
“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].
2 Se saca el hierro de la tierra, y se funde el cobre de la piedra.
People dig iron [ore] out of the ground, and they (smelt copper ore/heat copper ore to get the copper from it).
3 El hombre da fin a la oscuridad y examina la piedra oscura y opaca hasta el último rincón.
Men use lamps while they work far down under the ground to search for the ore inside the mines where it is very dark.
4 Lejos de donde vive la gente, en lugares donde el pie no pasa, abren minas. Son suspendidos y balanceados lejos de los demás hombres.
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].
5 La tierra de la cual sale el pan, y por debajo, es trastornada como por fuego;
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.
6 es lugar donde hay piedras de zafiro y polvo de oro.
The stones [that are dug from under the ground] contain (sapphires/very valuable blue stones), and the dirt contains bits of gold.
7 Es una senda que el ave de rapiña no conoce. Jamás la vio el ojo del halcón.
[Some birds have very good eyes, ] but even hawks do not know [where the mines are], and falcons/vultures have not seen those places.
8 Nunca fue pisoteada por fieras arrogantes, ni pasó por allí el león.
Lions or [other] proud wild animals have not walked on the roads near those mines.
9 El hombre alarga su mano sobre el pedernal y trastorna la raíz de las montañas.
Miners tear apart [MTY] very hard rock; [it is as though] they turn the mountains upside down [to get the ore].
10 Abre canales en la roca, y sus ojos ven todo lo precioso.
They cut tunnels through the rocks, and they find (precious/very valuable) things.
11 Detiene los ríos en su nacimiento y hace que salga a la luz lo escondido.
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].
12 Pero ¿dónde se halla el entendimiento? ¿Dónde está el lugar de la sabiduría?
“But wisdom: Where can people find that? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
13 El hombre no conoce el valor de ella. No se halla en la tierra de los vivientes.
Humans do not know where to find it; no one can find it [here on this earth] where they are living.
14 El océano dice: No está en mí. El mar dice: No está conmigo.
[It is as though] water that is deep [inside the earth] and [water that is in] the seas say [PRS], ‘Wisdom is not here!’
15 No se puede obtener con oro fino, ni por su precio se pesa la plata.
[People] cannot buy wisdom by paying for it with silver or gold.
16 No se puede evaluar con oro de Ofir, ni con ónice precioso o con zafiro.
Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from Ophir [land] or other very valuable stones.
17 El oro y los diamantes no se le igualan, ni se puede pagar con objetos de oro fino.
It is worth much more than gold or beautiful glass, worth more than vases made from fine gold.
18 El coral y el cristal de roca ni se mencionen, porque el valor de la sabiduría supera al de las perlas.
Wisdom is worth more than coral or crystal/pure quartz; the price of wisdom is higher/more than the price of pearls.
19 El topacio de Etiopía no la iguala, ni podrá ser evaluada en oro puro.
The prices of (topaz/very valuable yellow stones) from Ethiopia and of pure gold are lower/less than the price of wisdom.
20 ¿De dónde viene la sabiduría? ¿Dónde está el lugar del entendimiento?
“So, where does wisdom come from? Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
21 Está encubierta a los ojos de todo viviente, y oculta a todas las aves del cielo.
No living humans can see it [MTY]; and birds cannot see it while they are flying [MTY].
22 El Abadón y la Muerte dicen: ¡Su fama escuchamos con nuestros oídos!
[It is as though] the places where people go after they die say [PRS], ‘We have only heard rumors about [where to find wisdom].’
23 ʼElohim entiende el camino de ella y conoce su lugar,
God [is the only one who] knows how to find wisdom; he knows where it is,
24 porque contempla los confines de la tierra y ve cuanto hay debajo del cielo
because he can see things even in the most remote/distant places on the earth; he can see everything that is below the sky.
25 cuando da su peso al viento y determina la medida de las aguas,
When he decided how strongly the winds should blow, and how much rain would be in the clouds,
26 cuando dicta una ley para la lluvia, y un camino para truenos y relámpagos.
and when he decided where rain [should fall], and what path lightning should take [from the clouds down to the ground],
27 Entonces Él la vio, la declaró, la estableció y también la escudriñó,
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).
28 y dice al hombre: Ciertamente el temor a ʼAdonay es la sabiduría, y el apartarse del mal, el entendimiento.
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.’”
