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Job 28
Christian Standard Bible
Job 28
Christian Standard Bible
A Hymn to Wisdom
28 Surely there is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the ground,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 A miner puts an end to the darkness;
he probes[a] the deepest recesses
for ore in the gloomy darkness.
4 He cuts a shaft far from human habitation,
in places unknown to those who walk above ground.
Suspended far away from people,
the miners swing back and forth.
5 Food may come from the earth,
but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire.
6 Its rocks are a source of lapis lazuli,(A)
containing flecks of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that path;
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts have never walked on it;
no lion has ever prowled over it.
9 The miner uses a flint tool
and turns up ore from the root of the mountains.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eyes spot every treasure.
11 He dams up the streams from flowing[b]
so that he may bring to light what is hidden.
12 But where can wisdom(B) be found,
and where is understanding located?
13 No one can know its value,[c]
since it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depths say, “It’s not in me,”
while the sea declares, “I don’t have it.”(C)
15 Gold cannot be exchanged for it,
and silver cannot be weighed out for its price.
16 Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,(D)
in precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(E)
17 Gold and glass do not compare with it,
and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.(F)
18 Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning.
The price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
19 Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it,
and it cannot be valued in pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from,
and where is understanding located?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
and concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 Abaddon and Death(G) say,
“We have heard news of it with our ears.”
23 But God understands the way to wisdom,
and he knows its location.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When God fixed the weight of the wind
and distributed the water by measure,(H)
26 when he established a limit[d] for the rain(I)
and a path for the lightning,
27 he considered wisdom and evaluated it;
he established it and examined it.
28 He said to mankind,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom.
And to turn from evil is understanding.”(J)
Job 28
Names of God Bible
Job 28
Names of God Bible
Job Continues: Wisdom Is Inaccessible to Humans
28 “There is a place where silver is mined
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the ground,
and rocks are melted for their copper.
3 Humans bring an end to darkness there
and search to the limit of the gloomy, pitch-black rock.
4 They open up a mineshaft far from civilization,
where no one has set foot.
In this shaft men dangle and swing back and forth.
5 “Above the ground food grows,
but beneath it the food decays as if it were burned by fire.
6 That place’s stones are sapphire.[a]
Its dust contains gold.
7 No bird of prey knows the way to it.
No hawk’s eye has ever seen it.
8 No proud beast has ever walked on it.
No ferocious lion has ever passed over it.
9 “Humans exert their power on the flinty rocks
and overturn mountains at their base.
10 They cut out mineshafts in the rocks.
Their eyes see every precious thing.
11 They explore[b] the sources of rivers
so that they bring hidden treasures to light.
Wisdom Is Inaccessible to Decay and Death
12 “Where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding live?
13 No mortal knows where it is.[c]
It cannot be found in this world of the living.
14 The deep ocean says, ‘It isn’t in me.’
The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’
15 You cannot obtain it with solid gold
or buy it for any amount of silver.
16 It can’t be bought with the gold from Ophir
or with precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Neither gold nor glass can equal its value.
Nor can gold ornaments, jewels, or crystal[d]
18 be exchanged for it.
Wisdom is more valuable than gems.
19 Topaz from Ethiopia cannot equal its value.
It cannot be bought for any amount of pure gold.
20 “Where does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding live?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living being,
hidden even from the birds in the air.
22 Decay and Death say,
‘We’ve heard a rumor about it.’
Wisdom Is Accessible Only to the Creator
23 “Elohim understands the way to it.
He knows where it lives
24 because he can see to the ends of the earth
and observe everything under heaven.
25 When he gave the wind its force
and measured the water in the sea,
26 when he made rules for the rain
and set paths for the thunderstorms,
27 then he saw it and announced it.
He confirmed it and examined it.
28 So he told humans,
‘The fear of Adonay is wisdom!
To stay away from evil is understanding.’”
Job 28
New International Version
Job 28
New International Version
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
28 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.(A)
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.(B)
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;(C)
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.(D)
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(E)
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,(F)
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli(G) comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(H)
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.(I)
8 Proud beasts(J) do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.(K)
9 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)
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Names of God Bible (NOG)
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.