Job 28

1 “Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.

1 “Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.

2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.

3 Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.

3 Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

4 Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways.

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.

5 Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire.

5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread. Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

6 Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold.

6 Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.

7 No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it.

7 That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.

8 Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.

8 The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.

9 The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base.

9 He puts his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.

10 He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.

10 He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.

11 He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.

11 He binds the streams that they don’t trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

12 But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell?

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

13 No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.

13 Man doesn’t know its price, and it isn’t found in the land of the living.

14 The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’

14 The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’ The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’

15 It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

15 It can’t be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.

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

16 It can’t be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.

17 Gold and glass can’t equal it, neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18 Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

18 No mention will be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

19 Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it. It won’t be valued with pure gold.

20 From where, then, does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell?

20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?

21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air.

21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.

22 Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’

22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

23 But God understands its way, and He knows its place.

23 “God understands its way, and he knows its place.

24 For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.

25 When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,

25 He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.

26 when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt,

26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,

27 then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.

27 then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.

28 And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

28 To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”