28:1 “Surely1 there is a mine2 for silver,
and a place where gold is refined.3
28:2 Iron is taken from the ground,4
and rock is poured out5 as copper.
28:3 Man puts an end to the darkness;6
he searches the farthest recesses
for the ore in the deepest darkness.7
28:4 Far from where people live8 he sinks a shaft,
in places travelers have long forgotten,9
far from other people he dangles and sways.10
28:5 The earth, from which food comes,
is overturned below as though by fire;11
28:6 a place whose stones are sapphires12
and which contains dust of gold;13
28:7 a hidden path14 no bird of prey knows—
no falcon’s15 eye has spotted it.
28:8 Proud beasts16 have not set foot on it,
and no lion17 has passed along it.
28:9 On the flinty rock man has set to work18 with his hand;
he has overturned mountains at their bases.19
28:10 He has cut out channels20 through the rocks;
his eyes have spotted21 every precious thing.
28:11 He has searched22 the sources23 of the rivers
and what was hidden he has brought into the light.
No Price Can Buy Wisdom
28:12 “But wisdom—where can it be found?
Where is the place of understanding?
28:13 Mankind does not know its place;24
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
28:14 The deep25 says, ‘It is not with26 me.’
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
28:15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
28:16 It cannot be measured out for purchase27 with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx28 or sapphires.
28:17 Neither gold nor crystal29 can be compared with it,
nor can a vase30 of gold match its worth.
28:18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made;
the price31 of wisdom is more than pearls.32
28:19 The topaz of Cush33 cannot be compared with it;
it cannot be purchased with pure gold.
God Alone Has Wisdom
28:20 “But wisdom—from where does it come?34
Where is the place of understanding?
28:21 For35 it has been hidden
from the eyes of every living creature,
and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.
28:22 Destruction36 and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’37
28:23 God understands the way to it,
and he alone knows its place.
28:24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and observes everything under the heavens.
28:25 When he made38 the force of the wind
and measured39 the waters with a gauge.
28:26 When he imposed a limit40 for the rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,41
28:27 then he looked at wisdom42 and assessed its value;43
he established44 it and examined it closely.45
28:28 And he said to mankind,
‘The fear of the Lord46—that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”47
IV. Job’s Concluding Soliloquy (29:1-31:40)
Job Recalls His Former Condition48