Job 28
28
A Hymn to Wisdom
1Surely there is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2Iron is taken from the ground,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3A miner puts an end to the darkness;
he probes#28:3 Lit probes all the deepest recesses
for ore in the gloomy darkness.
4He cuts a shaft far from human habitation,
in places unknown to those who walk above ground.
Suspended far away from people,
the miners swing back and forth.
5Food may come from the earth,
but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire.
6Its rocks are a source of lapis lazuli,#Ex 24:10; Ezk 1:26; Rv 21:19
containing flecks of gold.
7No bird of prey knows that path;
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8Proud beasts have never walked on it;
no lion has ever prowled over it.
9The miner uses a flint tool
and turns up ore from the root of the mountains.
10He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eyes spot every treasure.
11He dams up the streams from flowing#28:11 LXX, Vg read He explores the sources of the streams
so that he may bring to light what is hidden.
12But where can wisdom#Jb 28:20; Pr 16:16; Ec 7:23,25 be found,
and where is understanding located?
13No one can know its value,#28:13 LXX reads way
since it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14The ocean depths say, “It’s not in me,”
while the sea declares, “I don’t have it.”#Dt 30:11–13; Ps 92:5; Rm 11:33
15Gold cannot be exchanged for it,
and silver cannot be weighed out for its price.
16Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,#1Kg 9:28; 10:11; Jb 22:24
in precious onyx or lapis lazuli.#Pr 3:14–16; 8:10–11; 16:16
17Gold and glass do not compare with it,
and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.#Ps 119:72; Pr 8:19; 20:15
18Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning.
The price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
19Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it,
and it cannot be valued in pure gold.
20Where then does wisdom come from,
and where is understanding located?
21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
and concealed from the birds of the sky.
22Abaddon and Death#Jb 25:6; Ps 49:14; Pr 27:20 say,
“We have heard news of it with our ears.”
23But God understands the way to wisdom,
and he knows its location.
24For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25When God fixed the weight of the wind
and distributed the water by measure,#Ps 135:7; Pr 30:4; Is 40:12
26when he established a limit#28:26 Or decree for the rain#Jb 5:10; 37:6; 38:25
and a path for the lightning,
27he considered wisdom and evaluated it;
he established it and examined it.
28He said to mankind,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom.
And to turn from evil is understanding.”#Dt 4:6; Pr 1:7; 9:10
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Job 28
28
Where Does Wisdom Come From?
1-11“We all know how silver seams the rocks,
we’ve seen the stuff from which gold is refined,
We’re aware of how iron is dug out of the ground
and copper is smelted from rock.
Miners penetrate the earth’s darkness,
searching the roots of the mountains for ore,
digging away in the suffocating darkness.
Far from civilization, far from the traffic,
they cut a shaft,
and are lowered into it by ropes.
Earth’s surface is a field for grain,
but its depths are a forge
Firing sapphires from stones
and chiseling gold from rocks.
Vultures are blind to its riches,
hawks never lay eyes on it.
Wild animals are oblivious to it,
lions don’t know it’s there.
Miners hammer away at the rock,
they uproot the mountains.
They tunnel through the rock
and find all kinds of beautiful gems.
They discover the origins of rivers,
and bring earth’s secrets to light.
12-19“But where, oh where, will they find Wisdom?
Where does Insight hide?
Mortals don’t have a clue,
haven’t the slightest idea where to look.
Earth’s depths say, ‘It’s not here’;
ocean deeps echo, ‘Never heard of it.’
It can’t be bought with the finest gold;
no amount of silver can get it.
Even famous Ophir gold can’t buy it,
not even diamonds and sapphires.
Neither gold nor emeralds are comparable;
extravagant jewelry can’t touch it.
Pearl necklaces and ruby bracelets—why bother?
None of this is even a down payment on Wisdom!
Pile gold and African diamonds as high as you will,
they can’t hold a candle to Wisdom.
20-22“So where does Wisdom come from?
And where does Insight live?
It can’t be found by looking, no matter
how deep you dig, no matter how high you fly.
If you search through the graveyard and question the dead,
they say, ‘We’ve only heard rumors of it.’
23-28“God alone knows the way to Wisdom,
he knows the exact place to find it.
He knows where everything is on earth,
he sees everything under heaven.
After he commanded the winds to blow
and measured out the waters,
Arranged for the rain
and set off explosions of thunder and lightning,
He focused on Wisdom,
made sure it was all set and tested and ready.
Then he addressed the human race: ‘Here it is!
Fear-of-the-Lord—that’s Wisdom,
and Insight means shunning evil.’”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.