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28 Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;

Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.

An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.

A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.

The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.

A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it hath dust of gold.

A path -- not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,

Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.

Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.

10 Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.

11 From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out [to] light.

12 And the wisdom -- whence is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?

13 Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

14 The deep hath said, `It [is] not in me,' And the sea hath said, `It is not with me.'

15 Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed -- its price.

16 It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,

17 Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.

18 Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies.

19 Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.

20 And the wisdom -- whence doth it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?

21 It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.

22 Destruction and death have said: `With our ears we have heard its fame.'

23 God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.

24 For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,

25 To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.

26 In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,

27 Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,

28 And He saith to man: -- `Lo, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.'

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

28 There is a mine for silver
    and a place where gold is refined.(A)
Iron is taken from the earth,
    and copper is smelted from ore.(B)
Mortals put an end to the darkness;(C)
    they search out the farthest recesses
    for ore in the blackest darkness.(D)
Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(E)
    in places untouched by human feet;
    far from other people they dangle and sway.
The earth, from which food comes,(F)
    is transformed below as by fire;
lapis lazuli(G) comes from its rocks,
    and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(H)
No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
    no falcon’s eye has seen it.(I)
Proud beasts(J) do not set foot on it,
    and no lion prowls there.(K)
People assault the flinty rock(L) with their hands
    and lay bare the roots of the mountains.(M)
10 They tunnel through the rock;(N)
    their eyes see all its treasures.(O)
11 They search[a] the sources of the rivers(P)
    and bring hidden things(Q) to light.

12 But where can wisdom be found?(R)
    Where does understanding dwell?(S)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(T)
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.(U)
14 The deep(V) says, “It is not in me”;
    the sea(W) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(X)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(Y)
    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(Z)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(AA)
    nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(AB)
18 Coral(AC) and jasper(AD) are not worthy of mention;
    the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(AE)
19 The topaz(AF) of Cush(AG) cannot compare with it;
    it cannot be bought with pure gold.(AH)

20 Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?(AI)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.(AJ)
22 Destruction[b](AK) and Death(AL) say,
    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
    and he alone(AM) knows where it dwells,(AN)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(AO)
    and sees everything under the heavens.(AP)
25 When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,(AQ)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(AR)
    and a path for the thunderstorm,(AS)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.(AT)
28 And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil(AU) is understanding.”(AV)

Footnotes

  1. Job 28:11 Septuagint, Aquila and Vulgate; Hebrew They dam up
  2. Job 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon