Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
Though there is, for silver, a vein, and a place for the gold they refine;
2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
Iron, out of the ore, is taken, and, stone, poureth out copper;
3 Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
An end, hath one set to the darkness, and, into every extremity, is, he, making search, for the stone of darkness and death-shade;
4 He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
He hath sunken a shaft, away from the inhabitants; Places forsaken by the foot, they hang down, away from men, sway to and fro;
5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread. Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
As for the earth, out of it, cometh forth bread, and, under it, is upturned, as it were fire;
6 Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
The place of sapphires, are the stones thereof, and it hath, nuggets of gold: —
7 That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
A path, the vulture hath not discerned, nor hath the eye of the hawk scanned it;
8 The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
Ravenous beasts have not made a track thereof, neither hath the lion marched thereon:
9 He puts his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
Upon the flint, hath he thrust forth his hand, He hath turned up mountains by the roots;
10 He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
Among the rocks, hath he cut open streams, and, every precious thing, hath his eye seen:
11 He binds the streams that they do not trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
From trickling, he restraineth, rivers, and, some hidden thing, is he bringing out to light.
12 “But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
Yet where can, Wisdom, be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its price, and it is not found in the land of the living.
Mortal knoweth not the way thereof, neither can it be found in the land of the living;
14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me.’ The sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
The resounding deep, hath said, It is not in me! And, the sea, hath said, It is not with me!
15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.
Pure gold cannot be given in its stead, neither can silver he weighed as the value thereof;
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
It cannot be put into the scales against the gold of Ophir, with costly onyx, or sapphire;
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it, neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can, the exchange thereof, be a vessel of pure gold,
18 No mention will be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
Coral or crystal, cannot be mentioned, Yea, a possession, is wisdom, above red coral;
19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it. It will not be valued with pure gold.
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, Against purest gold, can it not be weighed.
20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?
Whence then cometh, wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
Seeing it hath been hid from the eyes of every living thing, and, from the bird of the heavens, hath it been concealed?
22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
Destruction and death, have said, With our ears, have we heard the report thereof!
23 “God understands its way, and he knows its place.
GOD, understandeth the way thereof, and, he, discerneth the place thereof;
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
For, he, unto the ends of the earth, directeth his look, under all the heavens, he seeth;
25 He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
Making, for the wind, a weight, and, the waters, he proved by measure,
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
When he made, for the rain, a decree, and a way for the lightning of thunders,
27 then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
Then, saw he it, and declared it, He settled it, yea also he searched it out;
28 To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
And said to the son of earth, Lo! the reverence of the Lord, that, is wisdom, and, to avoid evil, is understanding.
