Hiob 28
1 “Beae a wotu dwetɛ wɔ hɔ ne beae a wɔnan sika kɔkɔɔ.
Truly there is a vein for silver, And a place for gold, which men refine.
2 Wotu dade fi fam, na wɔnan kɔbere fi dadebo mu.
Iron is obtained from earth, And stone is melted into copper.
3 Onipa ma sum ba awiei; na ɔhwehwɛ kɔ akyirikyiri asase mu kɔhwehwɛ dadebo wɔ sum kabii mu.
Man putteth an end to darkness; He searcheth to the lowest depths For the stone of darkness and the shadow of death.
4 Wɔde fagudetu afiri hyɛ beae a ɛmmɛn ɔdesani atenae, mmeae a nnipa anan nsii hɔ da, baabi a ɛmmɛn nnipa no, ɛhɔ na wodi aforosian.
From the place where they dwell they open a shaft; Forgotten by the feet, They hang down, they swing away from men.
5 Asase a ɛbɔ aduan no, wɔdan ase no te sɛ nea wɔde ogya na ayɛ;
The earth, out of which cometh bread, Is torn up underneath, as it were by fire.
6 hoabo fi nʼabotan mu na sikakɔkɔɔ mpɔw nso wɔ ne mfutuma mu.
Her stones are the place of sapphires, And she hath clods of gold for man.
7 Ɔkɔre biara nnim saa kwan a ahintaw no, akoroma biara ani nhuu ɛ.
The path thereto no bird knoweth, And the vulture's eye hath not seen it;
8 Mmoa ahantanfo nsi hɔ na gyata nkɔdɛɛdɛɛ wɔ hɔ.
The fierce wild beast hath not trodden it; The lion hath not passed over it.
9 Onipa nsa paapae abotan dennen na ɔma mmepɔw ase da hɔ.
Man layeth his hand upon the rock; He upturneth mountains from their roots;
10 Otwa aka fa abotan mu, na ohu nʼademude nyinaa.
He cleaveth out streams in the rocks, And his eye seeth every precious thing;
11 Ɔhwehwɛ baabi a nsubɔnten ti wɔ na ɔda nneɛma a ahintaw adi.
He bindeth up the streams, that they trickle not, And bringeth hidden things to light.
12 “Nanso ɛhe na yebehu nea nyansa hyɛ? Ɛhe na ntease te?
But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 Onipa renhu ne bo a ɛsom; wɔrenhu wɔ ateasefo asase so.
Man knoweth not the price thereof, Nor can it be found in the land of the living.
14 Na ebun ka se, ‘Enni me mu’; na po nso se, ‘Enni me nkyɛn.’
The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 Wɔrentumi mfa sikakɔkɔɔ ankasa ntɔ, na wɔrentumi mfa dwetɛ nkari ne bo.
It cannot be gotten for gold, Nor shall silver be weighed out as the price thereof.
16 Wɔrentumi mfa Ofir sikakɔkɔɔ ntɔ apopobibiribo anaa hoabo nso saa ara.
It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx or the sapphire.
17 Wɔrentumi mfa ahwehwɛ anaa sikakɔkɔɔ ntoto ho, na wɔrentumi mfa sikakɔkɔɔ nnwinne nsesa.
Gold and crystal are not to be compared with it; Nor can it be purchased with jewels of fine gold.
18 Ɛnsɛ sɛ yɛbɔ ahene panyin ne ahwehwɛbo din; nyansa bo sen nhene pa.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; For wisdom is more precious than pearls.
19 Etiopia akraatebo ne no nsɛ; wɔrentumi mfa sikakɔkɔɔ kronkron ntɔ.
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be purchased with pure gold.
20 “Ɛno de, na ɛhe na nyansa fi? Ɛhe na ntease te?
Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21 Wɔde asie abɔde biara ani, wɔde asie wim nnomaa mpo.
Since it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the fowls of the air.
22 Ɔsɛe ne Owu ka se, ‘Yɛate no huhuhuhu kɛkɛ.’
Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.
23 Onyankopɔn te ɔkwan a ɛkɔ hɔ ase, na ɔno nko ara na onim faako a ɛte,
God knoweth the way to it; He knoweth its dwelling-place.
24 efisɛ ɔhwɛ kodu nsase ano na ohu biribiara a ɛwɔ ɔsoro ase.
For he seeth to the ends of the earth, And surveyeth all things under the whole heaven.
25 Bere a ɔhyɛɛ mframa ano den too hɔ na osusuw nsuwa no,
When he gave the winds their weight, And meted out the waters by measure;
26 bere a ɔkaa no ɔhyɛ so kyerɛɛ osutɔ na otwaa kwan maa aprannaa no,
When he prescribed a law to the rain, And a path to the thunder-flash, —
27 afei ɔhwɛɛ nyansa na ɔkarii no hwɛe; na ogyee no too mu na ɔsɔɔ no hwɛe.
Then did he see it, and make it known; He established it, and searched it out.
28 Na ɔka kyerɛɛ onipa se, ‘Awurade suro, ɛno ne nyansa; na sɛ wokyi bɔne, yɛ ntease.’”
But he said unto man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.
