Job 28
New Catholic Bible
The Praise of Wisdom[a]
Chapter 28
Where Can Wisdom Be Found?[b]
1 “There are mines for silver
and places where gold is refined.
2 Iron is extracted from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Miners penetrate the darkness;
they search to the farthest recesses
to discover the ore hidden in gloom and shadow.
4 They open shafts in uninhabited places,
swinging suspended, far away from anyone.
5 “While grain is coming forth from the earth above,
what lies beneath is ravaged by fire.
6 Its rocks are the enclosure for sapphires,
and there is gold contained in its dust.
7 No bird of prey knows the path there;
the eye of a falcon has not seen it.
8 Proud beasts have not trodden it;
no lion has ever passed over it.
9 “Man begins to assail the granite rock
and overturns the mountains at their foundations.
10 He cuts channels into the rocks,
and his eyes behold precious gems.
11 He explores the sources of the streams
and brings hidden riches to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Wisdom Cannot Be Purchased[c]
13 “No one knows the way to it,
nor is it to be found in the land of the living.
14 The abyss declares, ‘It is not in me.’
The sea says, ‘I do not have it.’
15 It cannot be purchased with gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 “It cannot be acquired with the gold of Ophir,
nor with precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Gold or crystal[d] cannot be compared to it,
nor can it be exchanged for vessels of gold.
18 Neither coral nor alabaster deserve to be mentioned;
the price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
19 Topaz from Ethiopia is worthless in comparison to it,
nor can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
20 “Where then is the source of wisdom?
Where is intelligence to be found?
God Alone Knows Where Wisdom Can Be Found[e]
21 “It cannot be seen by the eye of any living creature;
it is even concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Abaddon and the netherworld[f] admit,
‘We have only heard rumors of it.’
23 “God alone understands the path to wisdom;
he alone knows where it can be found.
24 For he can observe the farthest ends of the earth,
and he sees everything under the heavens.
25 “When God regulated the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he imposed a limit for the rain
and cleared a path for the thunderbolt,
27 then he saw wisdom and evaluated it,
established it and assessed it completely.
28 And then he declared to man:
‘The fear of the Lord is wisdom,
and to turn from evil is understanding.’ ”
Footnotes
- Job 28:1 This praise of wisdom breaks into the debate between Job and his friends. This passage is related to other important passages in other Books dealing with the same subject (Prov 8:22-36; Sir 24; Bar 3:9—4:4). Wisdom is imagined as a person who dwells with God and is consulted by him. It is an image of God’s own thought, in comparison with which all human efforts to discover things seem trivial.
- Job 28:1 The exploitation of mines in the search for gold or precious stones has amazed people from antiquity and led them to use the contribution of slaves and prisoners in pursuit of this difficult work (v. 4). However, it is not by such searches that one can extract the secret of wisdom.
- Job 28:13 Wisdom is not found along the route of human discoveries; all the treasures of the world are of no avail in acquiring it.
- Job 28:17 Crystal: the text actually speaks of “glass,” but in antiquity this was very rare and valuable.
- Job 28:21 God alone knows where wisdom is found. Indeed, she was the inspiration of his work of creation (Prov 8:22-31)!
- Job 28:22 Abaddon and the netherworld: see note on Job 26:6.
Job 28
King James Version
28 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
3 He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
4 The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.
7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:
8 The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
9 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.
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Job 28
New Life Version
Where Can Wisdom Be Found?
28 “For sure there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is made pure. 2 Iron is taken out of the earth. And copper is melted from the rock. 3 Man looks into the deepest darkness. And he goes out to the farthest part of the earth to look for rocks in the dark places. 4 Men break open deep holes far from where people live, forgotten by travelers. In the holes they hang and move from side to side far from men. 5 As for the earth, out of it comes food. But below, it is turned up as fire. 6 Sapphires come from its rocks and its dust has gold. 7 No bird who eats meat knows that path. The falcon’s eye has not seen it. 8 The proud animals have not stepped on it. The strong lion has not passed over it. 9 Man puts his hand on the hard rock. He turns the mountains over at its base. 10 He makes a path through the rocks, and his eyes see everything of much worth. 11 He stops rivers from flowing. And he brings to light what is hidden.
12 “But where can 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 waters say, ‘It is not in me.’ The sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ 15 Pure gold cannot be traded for it and it cannot be bought with silver. 16 It cannot be compared in worth to the gold of Ophir, onyx of much worth, or sapphire. 17 Gold or glass cannot be compared to it in worth and it cannot be traded for objects of fine gold. 18 There is no need to say anything about coral or crystal because wisdom cannot be paid for with rubies. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot be compared to it in worth and it cannot be compared with the worth of pure gold. 20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living. It is hidden from the birds of the sky. 22 The Place That Destroys and Death say, ‘We have only heard about it with our ears.’
23 “God understands the way to wisdom, and He knows its place. 24 For He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees everything under the heavens. 25 He gave weight to the wind. He decided how much water would be in the sea. 26 He decided how much rain would fall, and the path for the lightning. 27 Then He saw wisdom and made it known. He made it last, and found out all about it. 28 And He said to man, ‘See, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. And to turn away from sin is understanding.’”
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.