Job 28
1 The siluer surely hath his veyne, and ye gold his place, where they take it.
“Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
2 Yron is taken out of the dust, and brasse is molten out of the stone.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
3 God putteth an end to darkenesse, and he tryeth the perfection of all things: he setteth a bond of darkenesse, and of the shadowe of death.
Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4 The flood breaketh out against the inhabitant, and the waters forgotten of the foote, being higher then man, are gone away.
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.
5 Out of the same earth commeth bread, and vnder it, as it were fire is turned vp.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread. Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6 The stones thereof are a place of saphirs, and the dust of it is golde.
Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
7 There is a path which no foule hath knowen, neyther hath the kites eye seene it.
That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
8 The lyons whelpes haue not walked it, nor the lyon passed thereby.
The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
9 He putteth his hand vpon the rockes, and ouerthroweth the mountaines by the rootes.
He puts his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
10 He breaketh riuers in the rockes, and his eye seeth euery precious thing.
He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
11 He bindeth the floods, that they doe not ouerflowe, and the thing that is hid, bringeth he to light.
He binds the streams that they do not trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12 But where is wisdome found? and where is the place of vnderstanding?
“But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof: for it is not found in the land of the liuing.
Man does not know its price, and it is not found in the land of the living.
14 The depth sayth, It is not in mee: the sea also sayth, It is not with me.
The deep says, ‘It is not in me.’ The sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 Golde shall not be giuen for it, neyther shall siluer be weighed for the price thereof.
It cannot be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.
16 It shall not be valued with the wedge of golde of Ophir, nor with the precious onix, nor the saphir.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 The golde nor the chrystall shall be equall vnto it, nor the exchange shalbe for plate of fine golde.
Gold and glass cannot equal it, neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral, nor of the gabish: for wisedome is more precious then pearles.
No mention will be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The Topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equall vnto it, neither shall it be valued with the wedge of pure gold.
The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it. It will not be valued with pure gold.
20 Whence then commeth wisedome? and where is the place of vnderstanding,
Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all the liuing, and is hid from the foules of the heauen?
Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
22 Destruction and death say, We haue heard the fame thereof with our eares.
Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23 But God vnderstandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
“God understands its way, and he knows its place.
24 For he beholdeth the endes of the world, and seeth all that is vnder heauen,
For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
25 To make the weight of the windes, and to weigh the waters by measure.
He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
26 When he made a decree for the rayne, and a way for the lightening of the thunders,
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 Then did he see it, and counted it: he prepared it and also considered it.
then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
28 And vnto man he said, Behold, the feare of the Lord is wisedome, and to depart from euil is vnderstanding.
To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
