Job 28

Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?

1  "Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold that they refine.
2  Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted from the ore.
3  Man puts an end to darkness
and searches out to the farthest limit
the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
4  He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
they are forgotten by travelers;
they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
5  As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6  Its stones are the place of sapphires,t
and it has dust of gold.

7  "That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
8  The proud beasts have not trodden it;
the lion has not passed over it.

9  "Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
and overturns mountains by the roots.
10  He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.
11  He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

12  "But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13  Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
14  The deep says, 'It is not in me,'
and the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15  It cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16  It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
17  Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18  No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above pearls.
19  The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20  "From where, then, does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21  It is hidden from the eyes of all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
22  Abaddon and Death say,
'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'

23  "God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24  For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25  When he gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26  when he made a decree for the rain
and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27  then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, 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.'"

Job 28

III. Job’s Search for Wisdom (28:1-28)

No Known Road to Wisdom

1 “Surelyt there is a minet for silver,
and a place where gold is refined.t

2 Iron is taken from the ground,t
and rock is poured outt as copper.

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

4 Far from where people lives he sinks a shaft,
in places travelers have long forgotten,t
far from other people he dangles and sways.s

5 The earth, from which food comes,
is overturned below as though by fire;s

6 a place whose stones are sapphirests
and which contains dust of gold;s

7 a hidden patht no bird of prey knows –
no falcon’ss eye has spotted it.

8 Proud beastst have not set foot on it,
and no lion has passed along it.

9 On the flinty rock man has set to workt with his hand;
he has overturned mountains at their bases.t

10 He has cut out channelst through the rocks;
his eyes have spottedt every precious thing.

11 He has searcheds the sourcess of the rivers
and what was hidden he has brought into the light.

No Price Can Buy Wisdom

12 “But wisdom – where can it be found?
Where is the place of understanding?

13 Mankind does not know its place;s
it cannot be found in the land of the living.

14 The deeps says, ‘It is not witht me.’
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

16 It cannot be measured out for purchaset with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyxt or sapphires.

17 Neither gold nor crystalt can be compared with it,
nor can a vases of gold match its worth.

18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made;
the pricet of wisdom is more than pearls.t

19 The topaz of Cusht cannot be compared with it;
it cannot be purchased with pure gold.

God Alone Has Wisdom

20 “But wisdom – where does it come from?t
Where is the place of understanding?

21 Fort it has been hidden
from the eyes of every living creature,
and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.

22 Destructiont and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’t

23 God understands the way to it,
and he alone knows its place.

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and observes everything under the heavens.

25 When he madet the force of the wind
and measuredt the waters with a gauge.

26 When he imposed a limitt for the rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,t

27 then he looked at wisdomt and assessed its value;t
he establisheds it and examined it closely.t

28 And he said to mankind,
‘The fear of the Lords – that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”s