Job 28

1Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.footnote a

2Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.footnote b

3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

4The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.

6The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.footnote c

7There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen:

8The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

9He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.footnote d

10He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

11He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.footnote e

12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

13Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

14The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.

15It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.footnote f

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

17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.footnote g

18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.footnote h

19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.footnote i

22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

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

27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.footnote j

28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Where Can Wisdom Be Found?

1“Surely there is a mine for silverand a place where gold is refined. 2Iron is taken from the earth,and copper is smelted from ore. 3Man puts an end to the darkness;he probes the farthest recessesfor ore in deepest darkness. 4Far from human habitation he cuts a shaftin places forgotten by the foot of man.Far from men he dangles and sways. 5Food may come from the earth,but from below it is transformed as by fire. 6Its rocks are the source of sapphires,containing flecks of gold. 7No bird of prey knows that path;no falcon’s eye has seen it. 8Proud beasts have never trodden it;no lion has ever prowled over it. 9The miner strikes the flint;he overturns mountains at their base. 10He hews out channels in the rocks,and his eyes spot every treasure. 11He stops upfootnote athe sources of the streamsto bring what is hidden to light.

12But where can wisdom be found,and where does understanding dwell? 13No man can know its value,nor is it found in the land of the living. 14The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’ 15It cannot be bought with gold,nor can its price be weighed out in silver. 16It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,in precious onyx or sapphire. 17Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it,nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it. 18Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention;the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. 19Topaz from Cushfootnote bcannot compare to it,nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20From where, then, does wisdom come,and where does understanding dwell? 21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thingand concealed from the birds of the air. 22Abaddonfootnote cand Death say,‘We have heard a rumor about it.’ 23But God understands its way,and He knows its place. 24For He looks to the ends of the earthand sees everything under the heavens. 25When God fixed the weight of the windand measured out the waters, 26when He set a limit for the rainand a path for the thunderbolt, 27then He looked at wisdom and appraised it;He established it and searched it out. 28And He said to man, ‘Behold,the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”