Hiob 28
1 “Beae a wotu dwetɛ wɔ hɔ ne beae a wɔnan sika kɔkɔɔ.
Surely there is a mine for silver, a place where they refine gold.
2 Wotu dade fi fam, na wɔnan kɔbere fi dadebo mu.
Iron is taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.
3 Onipa ma sum ba awiei; na ɔhwehwɛ kɔ akyirikyiri asase mu kɔhwehwɛ dadebo wɔ sum kabii mu.
A man sets an end to darkness and searches out, to the farthest limit, the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.
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.
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 Asase a ɛbɔ aduan no, wɔdan ase no te sɛ nea wɔde ogya na ayɛ;
As for the earth, out of which comes bread, it is turned up below as if by fire.
6 hoabo fi nʼabotan mu na sikakɔkɔɔ mpɔw nso wɔ ne mfutuma mu.
Its stones are the place where sapphires are found, and its dust contains gold.
7 Ɔkɔre biara nnim saa kwan a ahintaw no, akoroma biara ani nhuu ɛ.
No bird of prey knows the path to it, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 Mmoa ahantanfo nsi hɔ na gyata nkɔdɛɛdɛɛ wɔ hɔ.
The proud animals have not walked such a path, nor has the fierce lion passed there.
9 Onipa nsa paapae abotan dennen na ɔma mmepɔw ase da hɔ.
A man lays his hand on the flinty rock; he overturns mountains by their roots.
10 Otwa aka fa abotan mu, na ohu nʼademude nyinaa.
He cuts out channels among the rocks; his eye sees every valuable thing there.
11 Ɔhwehwɛ baabi a nsubɔnten ti wɔ na ɔda nneɛma a ahintaw adi.
He ties up the streams so they do not run; what is hidden there he brings out to the light.
12 “Nanso ɛhe na yebehu nea nyansa hyɛ? Ɛhe na ntease te?
Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13 Onipa renhu ne bo a ɛsom; wɔrenhu wɔ ateasefo asase so.
Man does not know its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 Na ebun ka se, ‘Enni me mu’; na po nso se, ‘Enni me nkyɛn.’
The deep waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 Wɔrentumi mfa sikakɔkɔɔ ankasa ntɔ, na wɔrentumi mfa dwetɛ nkari ne bo.
It cannot be gotten for gold; neither can silver be weighed as its price.
16 Wɔrentumi mfa Ofir sikakɔkɔɔ ntɔ apopobibiribo anaa hoabo nso saa ara.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Wɔrentumi mfa ahwehwɛ anaa sikakɔkɔɔ ntoto ho, na wɔrentumi mfa sikakɔkɔɔ nnwinne nsesa.
Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth; neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 Ɛnsɛ sɛ yɛbɔ ahene panyin ne ahwehwɛbo din; nyansa bo sen nhene pa.
No mention is worth making of coral or jasper; indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.
19 Etiopia akraatebo ne no nsɛ; wɔrentumi mfa sikakɔkɔɔ kronkron ntɔ.
The topaz of Cush does not equal it; neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
20 “Ɛno de, na ɛhe na nyansa fi? Ɛhe na ntease te?
From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
21 Wɔde asie abɔde biara ani, wɔde asie wim nnomaa mpo.
Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.
22 Ɔsɛe ne Owu ka se, ‘Yɛate no huhuhuhu kɛkɛ.’
Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'
23 Onyankopɔn te ɔkwan a ɛkɔ hɔ ase, na ɔno nko ara na onim faako a ɛte,
God understands the way to it; he knows its place.
24 efisɛ ɔhwɛ kodu nsase ano na ohu biribiara a ɛwɔ ɔsoro ase.
For he looks to the very ends of the earth and sees under all the heavens.
25 Bere a ɔhyɛɛ mframa ano den too hɔ na osusuw nsuwa no,
He made the force of the wind and parceled out the waters by measure.
26 bere a ɔkaa no ɔhyɛ so kyerɛɛ osutɔ na otwaa kwan maa aprannaa no,
He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunder.
27 afei ɔhwɛɛ nyansa na ɔkarii no hwɛe; na ogyee no too mu na ɔsɔɔ no hwɛe.
Then he saw wisdom and announced it; he established it, indeed, and he examined it.
28 Na ɔka kyerɛɛ onipa se, ‘Awurade suro, ɛno ne nyansa; na sɛ wokyi bɔne, yɛ ntease.’”
To people he said, 'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; to depart from evil is understanding.'”
