Noyes - Job - 28

28:1  Truly there is a vein for silver, And a place for gold, which men refine.

28:2  Iron is obtained from earth, And stone is melted into copper.

28:3  Man putteth an end to darkness; He searcheth to the lowest depths For the stone of darkness and the shadow of death.

28:4  From the place where they dwell they open a shaft; Forgotten by the feet, They hang down, they swing away from men.

28:5  The earth, out of which cometh bread, Is torn up underneath, as it were by fire.

28:6  Her stones are the place of sapphires, And she hath clods of gold for man.

28:7  The path thereto no bird knoweth, And the vulture’s eye hath not seen it;

28:8  The fierce wild beast hath not trodden it; The lion hath not passed over it.

28:9  Man layeth his hand upon the rock; He upturneth mountains from their roots;

28:10  He cleaveth out streams in the rocks, And his eye seeth every precious thing;

28:11  He bindeth up the streams, that they trickle not, And bringeth hidden things to light.

28:12  But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

28:13  Man knoweth not the price thereof, Nor can it be found in the land of the living.

28:14  The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.

28:15  It cannot be gotten for gold, Nor shall silver be weighed out as the price thereof.

28:16  It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx or the sapphire.

28:17  Gold and crystal are not to be compared with it; Nor can it be purchased with jewels of fine gold.

28:18  No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; For wisdom is more precious than pearls.

28:19  The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be purchased with pure gold.

28:20  Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?

28:21  Since it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the fowls of the air.

28:22  Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.

28:23  God knoweth the way to it; He knoweth its dwelling-place.

28:24  For he seeth to the ends of the earth, And surveyeth all things under the whole heaven.

28:25  When he gave the winds their weight, And meted out the waters by measure;

28:26  When he prescribed a law to the rain, And a path to the thunder-flash,—

28:27  Then did he see it, and make it known; He established it, and searched it out.

28:28  But he said unto man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.