Job 28
1 The siluer surely hath his veyne, and ye gold his place, where they take it.
“Surely there is a source for silver, And a place for the gold they refine;
2 Yron is taken out of the dust, and brasse is molten out of the stone.
Iron is taken from the dust, And bronze [from] the firm stone.
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.
He has set an end to darkness, And he is searching to all perfection, A stone of darkness and death-shade.
4 The flood breaketh out against the inhabitant, and the waters forgotten of the foote, being higher then man, are gone away.
A stream has broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, they wandered from man.
5 Out of the same earth commeth bread, and vnder it, as it were fire is turned vp.
The earth! Bread comes forth from it, And its under-part is turned like fire.
6 The stones thereof are a place of saphirs, and the dust of it is golde.
A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it has dust of gold.
7 There is a path which no foule hath knowen, neyther hath the kites eye seene it.
A path—a ravenous bird has not known it, Nor has an eye of the falcon scorched it,
8 The lyons whelpes haue not walked it, nor the lyon passed thereby.
Nor have the sons of pride trodden it, The fierce lion has not passed over it.
9 He putteth his hand vpon the rockes, and ouerthroweth the mountaines by the rootes.
He sent forth his hand against the flint, He overturned mountains from the root.
10 He breaketh riuers in the rockes, and his eye seeth euery precious thing.
Among rocks, he has cleaved brooks, And his eye has seen every precious thing.
11 He bindeth the floods, that they doe not ouerflowe, and the thing that is hid, bringeth he to light.
He has bound overflowing rivers, And the hidden thing brings out [to] light.
12 But where is wisdome found? and where is the place of vnderstanding?
And the wisdom—from where is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof: for it is not found in the land of the liuing.
Man has not known its arrangement, Nor is it 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 has said, It [is] not in me, And the sea has said, It is not with me.
15 Golde shall not be giuen for it, neyther shall siluer be weighed for the price thereof.
Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed—its price.
16 It shall not be valued with the wedge of golde of Ophir, nor with the precious onix, nor the saphir.
It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
17 The golde nor the chrystall shall be equall vnto it, nor the exchange shalbe for plate of fine golde.
Gold and crystal do not equal it, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral, nor of the gabish: for wisedome is more precious then pearles.
Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition 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 Cush does not equal it, It is not valued with pure gold.
20 Whence then commeth wisedome? and where is the place of vnderstanding,
And the wisdom—from where does it come? And where [is] this, 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?
It has been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the bird of the heavens It has been hidden.
22 Destruction and death say, We haue heard the fame thereof with our eares.
Destruction and death have said: With our ears we have heard its fame.
23 But God vnderstandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
God has understood its way, And He has known 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, He sees under the whole heavens,
25 To make the weight of the windes, and to weigh the waters by measure.
To make a weight for the wind, And He meted out the waters in measure.
26 When he made a decree for the rayne, and a way for the lightening of the thunders,
In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,
27 Then did he see it, and counted it: he prepared it and also considered it.
Then He has seen and declares it, He has prepared it, and also searched it out,
28 And vnto man he said, Behold, the feare of the Lord is wisedome, and to depart from euil is vnderstanding.
And He says to man: Behold, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.”
