Job 28

1 Silver has its fissures where it is first found, and gold has a place where it is melted.

Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.

2 Iron is taken from the earth, and ore, unbound by heat, is turned into brass.

Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.

3 He has established a time for darkness, and he has settled on an end for all things, as well as for the stone that is in the gloom and shadow of death.

[Man] setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

4 The burning separates a pilgrim people from those who have been forgotten by the feet of the destitute man and from the unapproachable.

He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; They are forgotten of the foot; They hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.

5 The land, where bread appeared in its place, has been destroyed by fire.

As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

6 Its stones are embedded with sapphires, and its soil, with gold.

The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold.

7 The bird does not know its path, nor has the eye of the vulture beheld it.

That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon’s eye seen it:

8 The sons of merchants have not walked there, nor has the lioness traveled through it.

The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby.

9 He has stretched out his hand to the rocks; he has overturned the foundations of the mountains.

He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.

10 He has cut rivers through the rocks, and his eye has seen all precious things.

He cutteth out channels among the rocks; And his eye seeth every precious thing.

11 The depths of rivers he has also examined, and he has brought hidden things into the light.

He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; And the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

12 But, in truth, where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?

But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

13 Man does not know its price, nor is it found in the land of those who live in sweetness.

Man knoweth not the price thereof; Neither is it found in the land of the living.

14 The abyss declares, “It is not in me.” And the sea says, “It is not with me.”

The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.

15 The finest gold will not be paid for it, nor will silver be weighed in exchange for it.

It cannot be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

16 It will not be compared with the dyed colors of India, nor with the very costly stone sardonyx, nor with the sapphire.

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

17 Neither gold nor crystal will be its equal; neither will vessels of gold be fitted for it.

Gold and glass cannot equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18 The exalted and the eminent will not be remembered in comparison with it. Yet wisdom is drawn out of concealment.

No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not be equal to it, nor will it be compared to the purest dyes.

The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

20 So then, where does wisdom begin, and where is the place of understanding?

Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?

21 It has been hidden from the eyes of all living things, just as the birds of the heavens escape notice.

Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the heavens.

22 Perdition and death have said, “With our ears, we have heard its fame.”

Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.

23 God understands its way, and he knows its location.

God understandeth the way thereof, And he knoweth the place thereof.

24 For he beholds the limits of the world, and he looks upon all things that are under heaven.

For he looketh to the ends of the earth, And seeth under the whole heaven;

25 He created a counterweight for the winds, and he suspended the waters to measure them.

To make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.

26 At that time, he gave a law to the rain and a path to the resounding storms.

When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder;

27 Then he saw and explained it, and he made ready and examined it.

Then did he see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out.

28 And he said to man, “Behold the fear of the Lord. Such is wisdom. And to withdraw from evil, this is understanding.”

And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.