Job 28

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

¹There is a mine for silver

and a place where gold is refined.

²Iron is taken from the earth,

and copper is smelted from ore.

³Mortals put an end to the darkness;

they search out the farthest recesses

for ore in the blackest darkness.

⁴Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,

in places untouched by human feet;

far from other people they dangle and sway.

⁵The earth, from which food comes,

is transformed below as by fire;

⁶lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,

and its dust contains nuggets of gold.

⁷No bird of prey knows that hidden path,

no falcon’s eye has seen it.

⁸Proud beasts do not set foot on it,

and no lion prowls there.

⁹People assault the flinty rock with their hands

and lay bare the roots of the mountains.

¹⁰They tunnel through the rock;

their eyes see all its treasures.

¹¹They search the sources of the rivers

and bring hidden things to light.

¹²But where can wisdom be found?

Where does understanding dwell?

¹³No mortal comprehends its worth;

it cannot be found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The deep says, “It is not in me”;

the sea says, “It is not with me.”

¹⁵It cannot be bought with the finest gold,

nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

¹⁶It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,

with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

¹⁷Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,

nor can it be had for jewels of gold.

¹⁸Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;

the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

¹⁹The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;

it cannot be bought with pure gold.

²⁰Where then does wisdom come from?

Where does understanding dwell?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,

concealed even from the birds in the sky.

²²Destruction and Death say,

“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”

²³God understands the way to it

and he alone knows where it dwells,

²⁴for he views the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.

²⁵When he established the force of the wind

and measured out the waters,

²⁶when he made a decree for the rain

and a path for the thunderstorm,

²⁷then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;

he confirmed it and tested it.

²⁸And he said to the human race,

“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,

and to shun evil is understanding.”