Job 28
The Message
Where Does Wisdom Come From?
28 1-11 “We all know how silver seams the rocks,
we’ve seen the stuff from which gold is refined,
We’re aware of how iron is dug out of the ground
and copper is smelted from rock.
Miners penetrate the earth’s darkness,
searching the roots of the mountains for ore,
digging away in the suffocating darkness.
Far from civilization, far from the traffic,
they cut a shaft,
and are lowered into it by ropes.
Earth’s surface is a field for grain,
but its depths are a forge
Firing sapphires from stones
and chiseling gold from rocks.
Vultures are blind to its riches,
hawks never lay eyes on it.
Wild animals are oblivious to it,
lions don’t know it’s there.
Miners hammer away at the rock,
they uproot the mountains.
They tunnel through the rock
and find all kinds of beautiful gems.
They discover the origins of rivers,
and bring earth’s secrets to light.
12-19 “But where, oh where, will they find Wisdom?
Where does Insight hide?
Mortals don’t have a clue,
haven’t the slightest idea where to look.
Earth’s depths say, ‘It’s not here’;
ocean deeps echo, ‘Never heard of it.’
It can’t be bought with the finest gold;
no amount of silver can get it.
Even famous Ophir gold can’t buy it,
not even diamonds and sapphires.
Neither gold nor emeralds are comparable;
extravagant jewelry can’t touch it.
Pearl necklaces and ruby bracelets—why bother?
None of this is even a down payment on Wisdom!
Pile gold and African diamonds as high as you will,
they can’t hold a candle to Wisdom.
20-22 “So where does Wisdom come from?
And where does Insight live?
It can’t be found by looking, no matter
how deep you dig, no matter how high you fly.
If you search through the graveyard and question the dead,
they say, ‘We’ve only heard rumors of it.’
23-28 “God alone knows the way to Wisdom,
he knows the exact place to find it.
He knows where everything is on earth,
he sees everything under heaven.
After he commanded the winds to blow
and measured out the waters,
Arranged for the rain
and set off explosions of thunder and lightning,
He focused on Wisdom,
made sure it was all set and tested and ready.
Then he addressed the human race: ‘Here it is!
Fear-of-the-Lord—that’s Wisdom,
and Insight means shunning evil.’”
Job 28
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Los tesoros de la tierra y la sabiduría
28 »Ciertamente hay una mina[a] para la plata,
Y un lugar donde se refina el oro[b].
2 -»El hierro se saca de la tierra,
Y de la piedra se funde el cobre.
3 -»El hombre pone fin a las tinieblas,
Y hasta los límites más remotos escudriña(A)
La roca que está en densa oscuridad.
4 -»Abren[c] minas lejos de lo habitado[d],
Olvidado por el pie;
Suspendidos se balancean lejos de los hombres.
5 -»De la tierra viene el alimento,
Y abajo está revuelta como por fuego.
6 -»Sus piedras son yacimientos[e] de zafiros,
Y su polvo contiene oro.
7 -»Senda que ave de rapiña no conoce,
Ni que ojo de halcón ha alcanzado a ver;
8 Las orgullosas bestias[f] no la han pisado,
Ni el fiero león ha pasado por ella.
9 -»Pone el hombre su mano en el pedernal;
Vuelca de raíz los montes.
10 -»Abre canales en las rocas,
Y su ojo ve todo lo preciado.
11 -»Detiene los arroyos para que no corran[g],
Y saca a luz lo oculto.
12 ¶»Pero la sabiduría, ¿dónde se hallará?
¿Y dónde está el lugar de la inteligencia(B)?
13 -»No conoce el hombre su valor,
Ni se encuentra en la tierra de los vivientes(C).
14 -»El abismo dice: “No está en mí”;
Y el mar dice: “No está conmigo”.
15 -»No se puede dar oro puro por ella,
Ni peso de plata por su precio(D).
16 -»No puede evaluarse con oro de Ofir,
Ni con ónice precioso, ni con zafiro.
17 -»No la pueden igualar ni el oro ni el vidrio,
Ni se puede cambiar por artículos de oro puro(E).
18 -»Coral y cristal ni se mencionen;
La adquisición de la sabiduría es mejor que las perlas(F).
19 -»El topacio de Etiopía[h] no puede igualarla,
Ni con oro puro(G) se puede evaluar.
20 -»¿De dónde, pues, viene la sabiduría?
¿Y dónde está el lugar de la inteligencia(H)?
21 -»Está escondida de los ojos de todos los vivientes,
Y oculta a todas las aves del cielo.
22 -»El Abadón[i](I) y la muerte dicen:
“Con nuestros oídos hemos oído su fama”.
23 ¶»Dios entiende el camino de ella,
Y conoce su lugar(J).
24 -»Porque Él contempla los confines de la tierra,
Y ve todo bajo los cielos(K).
25 -»Cuando Él dio peso al viento(L)
Y determinó las aguas por medida(M);
26 Cuando puso límite a la lluvia(N)
Y camino para el rayo(O),
27 Entonces Él la vio y la declaró,
La estableció y también la escudriñó.
28 -»Y dijo al hombre: “El temor[j] del Señor es sabiduría,
Y apartarse del mal, inteligencia(P)”».
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.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Nueva Biblia de las Américas™ NBLA™ Copyright © 2005 por The Lockman Foundation
