Job 28

¹ Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;

² Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.

³ An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.

⁴ A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.

⁵ The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.

⁶ A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it hath dust of gold.

⁷ A path — not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,

⁸ Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.

⁹ Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.

¹⁰ Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.

¹¹ From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out [to] light.

¹² And the wisdom — whence is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?

¹³ Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴ The deep hath said, ‘It [is] not in me,’ And the sea hath said, ‘It is not with me.’

¹⁵ Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed — its price.

¹⁶ It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,

¹⁷ Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.

¹⁸ Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies.

¹⁹ Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.

²⁰ And the wisdom — whence doth it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?

²¹ It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.

²² Destruction and death have said: ‘With our ears we have heard its fame.’

²³ God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.

²⁴ For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,

²⁵ To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.

²⁶ In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,

²⁷ Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,

²⁸ And He saith to man: — ‘Lo, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.’