Job 28
Man cannot find wisdom, despite his ability to extract precious metals and gems from the earth. Wisdom is more valuable than gold, silver, or precious stones, and its price cannot be measured. Even the depths of the sea and the abyss do not know where wisdom is found. God alone understands the way of wisdom and knows its location, and He has declared that the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to withdraw from evil is understanding.
Silver has its fissures where it is first found, and gold has a place where it is meltedIron is taken from the earth, and ore, unbound by heat, is turned into brassHe has established a time for darkness, and he has settled on an end for all things, as well as for the stone that is in the gloom and shadow of deathThe burning separates a pilgrim people from those who have been forgotten by the feet of the destitute man and from the unapproachableThe land, where bread appeared in its place, has been destroyed by fireIts stones are embedded with sapphires, and its soil, with goldThe bird does not know its path, nor has the eye of the vulture beheld itThe sons of merchants have not walked there, nor has the lioness traveled through itHe has stretched out his hand to the rocks; he has overturned the foundations of the mountainsHe has cut rivers through the rocks, and his eye has seen all precious thingsThe depths of rivers he has also examined, and he has brought hidden things into the lightBut, in truth, where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understandingMan does not know its price, nor is it found in the land of those who live in sweetnessThe abyss declares, "It is not in me." And the sea says, "It is not with me.The finest gold will not be paid for it, nor will silver be weighed in exchange for itIt will not be compared with the dyed colors of India, nor with the very costly stone sardonyx, nor with the sapphireNeither gold nor crystal will be its equal; neither will vessels of gold be fitted for itThe exalted and the eminent will not be remembered in comparison with it. Yet wisdom is drawn out of concealmentThe topaz of Ethiopia will not be equal to it, nor will it be compared to the purest dyesSo then, where does wisdom begin, and where is the place of understandingIt has been hidden from the eyes of all living things, just as the birds of the heavens escape noticePerdition and death have said, "With our ears, we have heard its fame.God understands its way, and he knows its locationFor he beholds the limits of the world, and he looks upon all things that are under heavenHe created a counterweight for the winds, and he suspended the waters to measure themAt that time, he gave a law to the rain and a path to the resounding stormsThen he saw and explained it, and he made ready and examined itAnd he said to man, "Behold the fear of the Lord. Such is wisdom. And to withdraw from evil, this is understanding.
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