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28 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
    and a place for gold which they refine.
Iron is taken out of the earth,
    and copper is smelted out of the ore.
Man sets an end to darkness,
    and searches out, to the furthest bound,
    the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
He breaks open a shaft away from where people live.
    They are forgotten by the foot.
    They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread.
    Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
Sapphires come from its rocks.
    It has dust of gold.
That path no bird of prey knows,
    neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
The proud animals have not trodden it,
    nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
He puts his hand on the flinty rock,
    and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts out channels among the rocks.
    His eye sees every precious thing.
11 He binds the streams that they don’t trickle.
    The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

12 “But where will wisdom be found?
    Where is the place of understanding?
13 Man doesn’t know its price;
    Neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’
    The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’
15 It can’t be gotten for gold,
    neither will silver be weighed for its price.
16 It can’t be valued with the gold of Ophir,
    with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.[a]
17 Gold and glass can’t equal it,
    neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention will be made of coral or of crystal.
    Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it,
    nor will it be valued with pure gold.

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Footnotes

  1. 28:16 or, lapis lazuli

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)

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Footnotes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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