Job 28
English Standard Version
Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?
28 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold that they (A)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 (B)gloom and (C)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, (D)out of it comes bread,
but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6 Its stones are the place of (E)sapphires,[a]
and it has dust of gold.
7 “That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
8 (F)The proud beasts have not trodden it;
(G)the lion has not passed over it.
9 “Man puts his hand to (H)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 (I)“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 (J)the land of the living.
14 (K)The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It (L)cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in (M)the gold of (N)Ophir,
in precious (O)onyx or (P)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 (Q)coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above (R)(S)pearls.
19 (T)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 (U)all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 (V)Abaddon and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23 (W)“God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24 For he (X)looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he (Y)gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and (Z)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, (AA)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to (AB)turn away from evil is understanding.’”
Job 28
International Standard Version
Priceless Wisdom is Sourced in God
28 “Surely there are mines for silver
and places where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the ground;[a]
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mankind limits the darkness
as they search the deepest depths
for ore[b] in unfathomable darkness.
4 He sinks his shaft far from human habitations,
in a place[c] forgotten by explorers;
they hang on harnesses
as they swing back and forth.
5 “While the ground produces food,
underneath it is torn up and burning hot,[d]
6 where stones are sapphire
and gold dust can be found,
7 a place where birds of prey never fly,
and the eyes of the falcon have never seen.
8 The proud beasts haven’t walked there;
lions have never passed over it.
9 “Using a flint, he thrusts his hand,
overturning mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts a channel through the rocks,
while his eyes search for anything of value.
11 He dams up flowing rivers,
bringing hidden things to light.”
Wisdom is of Greater Value than Precious Stones
12 “Where can wisdom be found?
Where is understanding’s home?
13 Mankind doesn’t appreciate their value;
and you won’t find it anywhere on earth.[e]
14 The deepest ocean says, ‘It’s not within me.’
and the sea says, ‘You’ll never find it with me.’
15 You can’t buy it with gold,
and its value cannot be calculated in silver.
16 It cannot be compared to gold from Ophir,[f]
with precious onyx, or with sapphire.
17 It cannot be compared to gold and fine glass[g] crystal,
nor can it be exchanged for gold-plated weaponry.[h]
18 Don’t even bother to mention coral and crystal—
wisdom is more valuable than a bag of rubies.[i]
19 It can neither be compared with the topaz of Ethiopia
nor valued in comparison to pure gold.”
Wisdom is from God
20 “From where, then, does wisdom originate?
Where does understanding live?[j]
21 It has been concealed from the sight of every living creature
and hidden even from the birds in the skies.
22 Abaddon[k] and death said,
‘We did hear a rumor about it.’
23 God understands how to get there;
he knows where they live.[l]
24 For he looks as far as the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the sky.[m]
25 “He imparted weight to the wind;
he regulated water by his measurement.
26 He set in place ordinances for the rain;
and determined the pathway for thunder that accompanies lightning.[n]
27 Then he looked at wisdom,
and fixed it in place;
he established it,
and also examined it.
28 He has commanded mankind:
‘To fear the Lord—that is wisdom;
to move away from evil—that is understanding.’”
Footnotes
- Job 28:2 Or dry earth
- Job 28:3 Lit. for darkest stone
- Job 28:4 The Heb. lacks in a place
- Job 28:5 Lit. is turned up as by fire
- Job 28:13 Lit. it in the land of the living
- Job 28:16 I.e. an ancient source of fine gold; cf. 1Chr 29:4
- Job 28:17 The Heb. lacks fine glass
- Job 28:17 Or for refined implements made of gold
- Job 28:18 Or pearls
- Job 28:20 Lit. Where is its place?
- Job 28:22 I.e. the realm of eternal judgment in the afterlife
- Job 28:23 Lit. knows its place
- Job 28:24 Or under heaven
- Job 28:26 Lit. the sound of a thunderbolt
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
