Job 28
New American Standard Bible
Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures
28 “Certainly there is a [a]mine for silver
And a place [b]for refining gold.
2 Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.
3 Man puts an end to darkness,
And (A)to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
4 He [c]sinks a shaft away from [d]inhabited areas,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing, away from people.
5 [e]From the earth comes food,
And underneath, it is turned over like fire.
6 Its rocks are the [f]source of sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.
7 No bird of prey knows the path,
Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.
8 The [g]proud animals have not trodden it,
Nor has the lion passed over it.
9 He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the [h]base.
10 He carves out channels through the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.
11 He dams up the streams from [i]flowing,
And brings to light what is hidden.
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12 “But (B)where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 (C)Mankind does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 (D)Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 (E)Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold.
18 Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of (F)wisdom is more valuable than pearls.
19 The topaz of [j]Cush cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in (G)pure gold.
20 (H)Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is this place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature,
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 [k](I)Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
23 “(J)God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He (K)looks to the ends of the earth;
He sees everything under the heavens.
25 When He imparted (L)weight to the wind,
And (M)assessed the waters by measure,
26 When He made a (N)limit for the rain,
And a course for the (O)thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28 And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the (P)fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
Job 28
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
28 Silver hath beginnings of its veins, and gold hath a place wherein it is melted.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone melted with heat is turned into brass.
3 He hath set a time for darkness, and the end of all things he considereth, the stone also that is in the dark and the shadow of death.
4 The flood divideth from the people that are on their journey, those whom the food of the needy man hath forgotten, and who cannot be come at.
5 The land, out of which bread grew in its place, hath been overturned with fire.
6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and the clods of it are gold.
7 The bird hath not known the path, neither hath the eye of the vulture beheld it.
8 The children of the merchants have not trodden it, neither hath the lioness passed by it.
9 He hath stretched forth his hand to the flint, he hath overturned mountains from the roots.
10 In the rocks he hath cut out rivers, and his eye hath seen every precious thing.
11 The depths also of rivers he hath searched, and hidden things he hath brought forth to light.
12 But where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of them that live in delights.
14 The depth saith: It is not in me: and the sea saith: It is not with me.
15 The finest gold shall not purchase it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it.
16 It shall not be compared with the dyed colours of India, or with the most precious stone sardonyx, or the sapphire.
17 Gold or crystal cannot equal it, neither shall any vessels of gold be changed for it.
18 High and eminent things shall not be mentioned in comparison of it: but wisdom is drawn out of secret places.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it, neither shall it be compared to the cleanest dyeing.
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hid from the eyes of all living. and the fowls of the air know it not.
22 Destruction and death have said: With our ears we have heard the fame thereof.
23 God understandeth the way of it, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 For he beholdeth the ends of the world: and looketh on all things that are under heaven.
25 Who made a weight for the winds and weighed the waters by measure.
26 When he gave a law for the rain, and a way for the sounding storms.
27 Then he saw it, and declared, and prepared, and searched it.
28 And he said to man: Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil, is understanding.
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