Job, 28

1. Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold [where] they fine [it].

1. There is a silver mine and a place where gold is refined.

2. Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass [is] molten [out of] the stone.

2. Iron is taken from earth and copper is smelted from ore.

3. He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

3. Man tries to conquer darkness, piercing to the uttermost depths in darkness for the gloomy stone.

4. The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; [even the waters] forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

4. Strange people cut a shaft in places remote and long forgotten, and there they labor, dangling and swaying.

5. [As for] the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.

5. The earth which produces food is plowed up as if by fire.

6. The stones of it [are] the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.

6. Sapphires come from its rocks, gold nuggets from its dust.

7. [There is] a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

7. No bird of prey knows the hidden path, no falcon's eye has seen it yet.

8. The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

8. No proud beast has trodden it, no prowling lion has passed over it.

9. He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.

9. Man attacks the flinty rocks, upturns mountains by their roots.

10. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

10. Tunneling through earth's layers, he sees all its treasures.

11. He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and [the thing that is] hid bringeth he forth to light.

11. He searches the source of rivers, and brings hidden things to light.

12. But where shall wisdom be found? and where [is] the place of understanding?

12. But where does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?

13. Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

13. Man has known no way to wisdom; it is not found in the land of the living.

14. The depth saith, It [is] not in me: and the sea saith, [It is] not with me.

14. The deep says, "It is not in me"; the sea says, "It is not with me."

15. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed [for] the price thereof.

15. It cannot be purchased with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed in silver.

16. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

16. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, nor with precious onyx or sapphire.

17. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it [shall not be for] jewels of fine gold.

17. It is beyond comparison with gold or crystal; its worth is unmatched by any golden vessel.

18. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom [is] above rubies.

18. Not worth mentioning are coral and jasper; the price of wisdom is above the biggest pearl.

19. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

19. The topaz of Cush cannot equal it; it cannot be valued in pure gold.

20. Whence then cometh wisdom? and where [is] the place of understanding?

20. Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?

21. Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.

21. It is hidden from the eyes of all the living, concealed from the birds in the sky.

22. Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

22. Destruction and Death can only say, "We have heard of it."

23. God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

23. God alone knows the way to wisdom, his eye enters its dwelling place.

24. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, [and] seeth under the whole heaven;

24. When he looked to the ends of the earth, and watched everything under the heavens,

25. To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

25. when he gave the wind its force and measured out the waters,

26. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

26. when he set a bound for the rain and a way for the thunder and lightning,

27. Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

27. then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he established it, knowing it in depth.

28. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.

28. And to man he said: The fear of the Lord is wisdom; avoiding evil is understanding.