JobChapter 28

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¹"Surely there is a mine for silver.
There is a place where gold is made pure. ²Iron is taken from the earth.
Copper is melted out of rock. ³Man puts an end to the darkness.
He searches the farthest places for ore,
deep in the darkest dark. ⁴Far from where people live, he cuts a deep shaft.
No human foot has walked in those forgotten places.
Far from other people, he hangs and swings on ropes. ⁵Food may grow out of the earth.
But down below, the earth is changed as if by fire. ⁶Its rocks are where sapphires come from.
They have bits of gold in them. ⁷No hunting bird knows that path.
No falcon's eye has seen it. ⁸Proud wild animals have never walked on it.
No lion has ever prowled there. ⁹The miner strikes the hard rock.
He turns mountains over at their roots. ¹⁰He cuts tunnels through the rocks.
His eyes spot every treasure. ¹¹He dams up the springs of the streams.
He brings what is hidden into the light. ¹²But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding live? ¹³No man knows how much it is worth.
It isn't found in the land of the living. ¹⁴The deep ocean says, 'It isn't in me.'
The sea says, 'It isn't with me.' ¹⁵It can't be bought with gold.
Its price can't be weighed out in silver. ¹⁶It can't be bought with the gold of Ophir.
It can't be bought with costly onyx or sapphire. ¹⁷Gold and crystal can't compare with it.
Jewels of fine gold can't be traded for it. ¹⁸Coral and quartz aren't even worth mentioning.
The price of wisdom is higher than rubies. ¹⁹Topaz from Cush can't compare with it.
It can't be bought with pure gold. ²⁰So where does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding live? ²¹It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing.
It is kept hidden even from the birds in the sky. ²²Destruction and Death say,
'We have only heard rumors about it.'a ²³But God understands the way to it.
He knows where it lives. ²⁴He looks to the ends of the earth.
He sees everything under the heavens. ²⁵God set the weight of the wind.
He measured out the waters. ²⁶He set a limit for the rain.
He made a path for the lightning. ²⁷At that time he looked at wisdom and judged its worth.
He set it in place and searched it out. ²⁸And he said to man,
'Look, the fear of the Lord is wisdom.
And to turn away from evil is understanding.'"