28:1 "Surely there is a mine for the silver, and a place where they refine gold. |
28:2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and bronze is melted out of the stone. |
28:3 Man puts an end to darkness, and to the farthest limits they search out the ore in the darkness of the mine and in the shadow of death. |
28:4 He opens a shaft away from where men travel, in places forgotten by men's feet; they hang and swing to and fro far away from men. |
28:5 As to the earth, out of it comes bread; but from underneath it is turned up like fire. |
28:6 Its stones are the place of sapphires; and it has dust of gold. |
28:7 There is a path which no bird knows, nor the vulture's eye has seen it; |
28:8 And the proud beasts have not walked on it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. |
28:9 He puts forth His hand on the flinty places; He overturns the mountains by the roots. |
28:10 He cuts out rivers among the rocks; and His eye sees every precious thing. |
28:11 He holds back the streams from flowing; and the hidden thing He brings to light. |
28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? |
28:13 Man does not know the price of it; nor is it found in the land of the living. |
28:14 The deep says, 'It is not in me;' and the sea says, 'It is not in me.' |
28:15 Pure gold cannot be given instead of it, nor silver be weighed as its price. |
28:16 It cannot be valued against the gold of Ophir, or against precious onyx, or sapphire; |
28:17 Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for the jewels of fine gold. |
28:18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of crystal; and the price of wisdom is above rubies. |
28:19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it; it cannot be valued against pure gold. |
28:20 From where then does wisdom come, and where is the place of understanding? |
28:21 Yea, it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the heavens. |
28:22 Destruction and death say, 'We have heard the fame of it with our ears.' |
28:23 God understands the way of it, and He knows its place. |
28:24 For He looks to the end of the earth, and sees under the whole heavens; |
28:25 He endowed the winds with weight, and gauged the waters by measure. |
28:26 When He made a decree for the rain, and a path for the thunderstorm; |
28:27 Then He saw it, and declared it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out. |
28:28 And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom! And to depart from evil is understanding!' ” |