Job 28

Job Speaks of Wisdom and Understanding

¹“People know where to mine silver

and how to refine gold.

²They know where to dig iron from the earth

and how to smelt copper from rock.

³They know how to shine light in the darkness

and explore the farthest regions of the earth

as they search in the dark for ore.

⁴They sink a mine shaft into the earth

far from where anyone lives.

They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.

⁵Food is grown on the earth above,

but down below, the earth is melted as by fire.

⁶Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli,

and the dust contains gold.

⁷These are treasures no bird of prey can see,

no falcon’s eye observe.

⁸No wild animal has walked upon these treasures;

no lion has ever set his paw there.

⁹People know how to tear apart flinty rocks

and overturn the roots of mountains.

¹⁰They cut tunnels in the rocks

and uncover precious stones.

¹¹They dam up the trickling streams

and bring to light the hidden treasures.

¹²“But do people know where to find wisdom?

Where can they find understanding?

¹³No one knows where to find it,^a

for it is not found among the living.

¹⁴‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.

‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.

¹⁵It cannot be bought with gold.

It cannot be purchased with silver.

¹⁶It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,

greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

¹⁷Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.

It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.

¹⁸Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.

The price of wisdom is far above rubies.

¹⁹Precious peridot from Ethiopia^b cannot be exchanged for it.

It’s worth more than the purest gold.

²⁰“But do people know where to find wisdom?

Where can they find understanding?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.

Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.

²²Destruction^c and Death say,

‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’

²³“God alone understands the way to wisdom;

he knows where it can be found,

²⁴for he looks throughout the whole earth

and sees everything under the heavens.

²⁵He decided how hard the winds should blow

and how much rain should fall.

²⁶He made the laws for the rain

and laid out a path for the lightning.

²⁷Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.

He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.

²⁸And this is what he says to all humanity:

‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;

to forsake evil is real understanding.’”