Job 28
Revised Geneva Translation
28 “Silver surely has its vein, and gold its refining place.
2 “Iron is taken out of the dust, and copper is smelted out of the stone.
3 “God sets an end to darkness, and He tests the perfection of all things. He sets a bond of darkness and of the shadow of death.
4 “The torrent breaks out against the sojourner, forgotten by the foot. They hang lower than man, gone far away.
5 “Out of the same earth comes bread. And under it, as it were, fire is turned up,
6 “its stones a place of sapphires, and the dust of it gold.
7 “There is a path which no bird has known, nor has the kite’s eye seen it.
8 “The lion’s whelps have not walked it, nor the lion passed by it.
9 “He puts His Hand upon the rocks and overthrows the mountains by the roots.
10 “He breaks rivers in the roots, and His Eye sees every precious thing.
11 “He binds the rivers, so that they do not overflow. And the thing that is hidden He brings to light.
12 “But where is wisdom found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 “Man does not know its price. For it is not found in the land of the living.
14 “The depth says, ‘It is not in me.’ The sea also says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 “Gold shall not be given for it, nor shall silver be weighed for its price.
16 “It shall not be valued with the wedge of gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 “Neither gold nor crystal shall be equal to it, nor shall it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.
18 “No mention shall be made of coral or of the gabish. For wisdom is more precious than pearls.
19 “The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it, nor shall it be valued with the wedge of pure gold.
20 “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding,
21 “seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all the living, and is hidden from the birds of the heaven?
22 “Destruction and death say, ‘We have heard of its fame with our ears.’
23 “God understands its way. And He knows its place.
24 “For He beholds the ends of the world, sees all that is under Heaven,
25 “to make the weight of the winds and to weigh the waters by measure.
26 “When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunders,
27 “then He saw it and counted it. He prepared it and also considered it.
28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the LORD is wisdom. And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
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)
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