NETtext - Job - 28

28:1  "Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined.

28:2  Iron is taken from the ground, and rock is poured out as copper.

28:3  Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for the ore in the deepest darkness.

28:4  Far from where people live he sinks a shaft, in places travelers have long forgotten, far from other people he dangles and sways.

28:5  The earth, from which food comes, is overturned below as though by fire;

28:6  a place whose stones are sapphires and which contains dust of gold;

28:7  a hidden path no bird of prey knows - no falcon's eye has spotted it.

28:8  Proud beasts have not set foot on it, and no lion has passed along it.

28:9  On the flinty rock man has set to work with his hand; he has overturned mountains at their bases.

28:10  He has cut out channels through the rocks; his eyes have spotted every precious thing.

28:11  He has searched the sources of the rivers and what was hidden he has brought into the light.

28:12  "But wisdom - where can it be found? Where is the place of understanding?

28:13  Mankind does not know its place; it cannot be found in the land of the living.

28:14  The deep says, 'It is not with 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 purchase with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires.

28:17  Neither gold nor crystal can be compared with it, nor can a vase of gold match its worth.

28:18  Of coral and jasper no mention will be made; the price of wisdom is more than pearls.

28:19  The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it; it cannot be purchased with pure gold.

28:20  "But wisdom - where does it come from? Where is the place of understanding?

28:21  For it has been hidden from the eyes of every living creature, and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.

28:22  Destruction and Death say, 'With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.'

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 made the force of the wind and measured the waters with a gauge.

28:26  When he imposed a limit for the rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,

28:27  then he looked at wisdom and assessed its value; he established it and examined it closely.

28:28  And he said to mankind, 'The fear of the LORD - that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"