Job 28

1 Surely there is a mine for silver, a place where they refine gold.

Truly there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is washed out.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.

Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone is changed into brass by the fire.

3 A man sets an end to darkness and searches out, to the farthest limit, the stones in obscurity and thick darkness.

Man puts an end to the dark, searching out to the farthest limit the stones of the deep places of the dark.

4 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.

He makes a deep mine far away from those living in the light of day; when they go about on the earth, they have no knowledge of those who are under them, who are hanging far from men, twisting from side to side on a cord.

5 As for the earth, out of which comes bread, it is turned up below as if by fire.

As for the earth, bread comes out of it; but under its face it is turned up as if by fire.

6 Its stones are the place where sapphires are found, and its dust contains gold.

Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.

7 No bird of prey knows the path to it, nor has the falcon's eye seen it.

No bird has knowledge of it, and the hawk's eye has never seen it.

8 The proud animals have not walked such a path, nor has the fierce lion passed there.

The great beasts have not gone over it, and the cruel lion has not taken that way.

9 A man lays his hand on the flinty rock; he overturns mountains by their roots.

Man puts out his hand on the hard rock, overturning mountains by the roots.

10 He cuts out channels among the rocks; his eye sees every valuable thing there.

He makes deep ways, cut through the rock, and his eye sees everything of value.

11 He ties up the streams so they do not run; what is hidden there he brings out to the light.

He keeps back the streams from flowing, and makes the secret things come out into the light.

12 Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?

But where may wisdom be seen? and where is the resting-place of knowledge?

13 Man does not know its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.

Man has not seen the way to it, and it is not in the land of the living.

14 The deep waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'

The deep waters say, It is not in me: and the sea says, It is not with me.

15 It cannot be gotten for gold; neither can silver be weighed as its price.

Gold may not be given for it, or a weight of silver in payment for it.

16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.

It may not be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the onyx of great price, or the sapphire.

17 Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth; neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

Gold and glass are not equal to it in price, and it may not be exchanged for jewels of the best gold.

18 No mention is worth making of coral or jasper; indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.

There is no need to say anything about coral or crystal; and the value of wisdom is greater than that of pearls.

19 The topaz of Cush does not equal it; neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.

The topaz of Ethiopia is not equal to it, and it may not be valued with the best gold.

20 From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?

From where then does wisdom come, and where is the resting-place of knowledge?

21 Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.

For it is kept secret from the eyes of all living, unseen by the birds of the air.

22 Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'

Destruction and Death say, We have only had word of it with our ears.

23 God understands the way to it; he knows its place.

God has knowledge of the way to it, and of its resting-place;

24 For he looks to the very ends of the earth and sees under all the heavens.

For his eyes go to the ends of the earth, and he sees everything under heaven.

25 He made the force of the wind and parceled out the waters by measure.

When he made a weight for the wind, measuring out the waters;

26 He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunder.

When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the thunder-flames;

27 Then he saw wisdom and announced it; he established it, indeed, and he examined it.

Then he saw it, and put it on record; he gave it its fixed form, searching it out completely.

28 To people he said, 'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; to depart from evil is understanding.'”

And he said to man, Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to keep from evil is the way to knowledge.