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The Book of Job

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- Chapter 28 -

Job's discourse on wisdom

1
Silver has its fissures where it is first found, and gold has a place where it is melted.
2
Iron is taken from the earth, and ore, unbound by heat, is turned into brass.
3
He 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 death.
4
The burning separates a pilgrim people from those who have been forgotten by the feet of the destitute man and from the unapproachable.(a)
5
The land, where bread appeared in its place, has been destroyed by fire.(b)
6
Its stones are embedded with sapphires, and its soil, with gold.
7
The bird does not know its path, nor has the eye of the vulture beheld it.
8
The sons of merchants have not walked there, nor has the lioness traveled through it.(c)
9
He has stretched out his hand to the rocks; he has overturned the foundations of the mountains.
10
He has cut rivers through the rocks, and his eye has seen all precious things.
11
The depths of rivers he has also examined, and he has brought hidden things into the light.
12
But, in truth, where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?
13
Man does not know its price, nor is it found in the land of those who live in sweetness.
14
The abyss declares, “It is not in me.” And the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15
The finest gold will not be paid for it, nor will silver be weighed in exchange for it.
16
It will not be compared with the dyed colors of India, nor with the very costly stone sardonyx, nor with the sapphire.
17
Neither gold nor crystal will be its equal; neither will vessels of gold be fitted for it.
18
The exalted and the eminent will not be remembered in comparison with it. Yet wisdom is drawn out of concealment.
19
The topaz of Ethiopia will not be equal to it, nor will it be compared to the purest dyes.
20
So then, where does wisdom begin, and where is the place of understanding?
21
It has been hidden from the eyes of all living things, just as the birds of the heavens escape notice.(d)
22
Perdition and death have said, “With our ears, we have heard its fame.”
23
God understands its way, and he knows its location.
24
For he beholds the limits of the world, and he looks upon all things that are under heaven.
25
He created a counterweight for the winds, and he suspended the waters to measure them.
26
At that time, he gave a law to the rain and a path to the resounding storms.
27
Then he saw and explained it, and he made ready and examined it.
28
And he said to man, “Behold the fear of the Lord. Such is wisdom. And to withdraw from evil, this is understanding.”

Footnotes

(a)28:4 The word ‘torrens’ can be translated as ‘burning’ or as ‘torrent,’ but the context seems to refer to Hell, so ‘the burning’ is the translation. This verse refers to the dead, not just any dead, but those so forgotten by mankind that their graves are unknown and the wandering destitute man’s feet walks over their grave unknowingly. It also refers to the unapproachable, that is, to those who are in Hell. These are separated from the people of God, a pilgrim people, who are traveling towards God.(Conte)
(b)28:5 Context is very important to any translation. Here the context is the manna in the desert, that is, the bread which appeared in its place.(Conte)
(c)28:8 The phrase ‘filii institorum’ refers not to mere children of shopkeepers or merchants, but to the sons of the merchants, in other words, to their apprentices or trainees (which would usually be sons or other younger male relatives). These sons of merchants would be given the task of traveling to various places on business, i.e. running errands. Even these sons, who travel a great deal, have not heard of such a place.(Conte)
(d)28:21 This last phrase compares the birds of the sky (or the heavens) to wisdom in that both go mostly unnoticed by those living on earth.(Conte)

Job's discourse on wisdom

1
“Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
2
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
3
Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4
He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
5
As for the earth, out of it comes bread. Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6
Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
7
That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
8
The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
9
He puts his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
10
He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
11
He binds the streams that they don’t trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12
“But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13
Man doesn’t know its price, and it isn’t found in the land of the living.
14
The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’ The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’
15
It can’t be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.
16
It can’t be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.(a)
17
Gold and glass can’t equal it, neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18
No mention will be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19
The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it. It won’t be valued with pure gold.
20
Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?
21
Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
22
Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23
“God understands its way, and he knows its place.
24
For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
25
He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
26
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27
then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
28
To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord,(b) that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”

Footnotes

(a)28:16 or, lapis lazuli
(b)28:28 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”
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