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20 Indeed,[a] from where does wisdom come?
And where in the world[b] is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living,
and it is concealed from the birds of the heaven.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
‘We heard its rumor with our ears.’
23 “God understands its way,
and he knows its place,
24 for he himself[c] looks to the end of the earth;
he sees under all the heaven.
25 When he gave[d] weight to the wind
and he apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made[e] a rule for the rain
and a way for the thunder’s lightning bolt,
27 then he saw it and talked about it;
he established it, and moreover, he explored it.
28 And to the human beings he said,
‘Look, the fear of the Lord is wisdom,
and to depart from evil is understanding.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 28:20 Hebrew “And”
  2. Job 28:20 Literally “where this”
  3. Job 28:24 Emphatic personal pronoun
  4. Job 28:25 Literally “To give”
  5. Job 28:26 Literally “at his making”

20 Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?(A)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.(B)
22 Destruction[a](C) and Death(D) say,
    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
    and he alone(E) knows where it dwells,(F)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(G)
    and sees everything under the heavens.(H)
25 When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,(I)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(J)
    and a path for the thunderstorm,(K)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.(L)
28 And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil(M) is understanding.”(N)

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Footnotes

  1. Job 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon