Job 28:1-28

Wisdom only comes from God

1 ‘If people want to find silver,

they can dig it out of the ground.

They also have places where they can make gold pure.

2 They know how to take iron from under the ground.

They can also use heat to get copper from rocks.

3 People take light into dark places under the ground.

They look carefully for valuable metals.

4 They dig deep holes in the ground

far away from places where people live.

Other people do not know about those places.

People hang on ropes as they go deep down into the earth.

5 We grow our food on the earth above.

But deep under the ground, people use fire to break the rocks.

6 Sapphires come from the rocks in those places.

The dust there contains gold.

7 Even eagles or other birds with good eyes

do not see those places.

8 Lions and other wild animals do not walk there.

9 People break into the hard rocks.

They turn over rocks under the mountains.

10 They cut holes through the rocks.

They discover stones that are very valuable.

11 They look carefully in the springs of water

where rivers start.

They bring into the light things that were hidden away.

12 But as for wisdom,

people do not know where to find it.

They cannot learn how to understand things properly.

13 Humans do not understand the value of wisdom.

They cannot find it in this world where people live.

14 Wisdom is not in the sea.

Even in the deepest sea, no one will find it.

15 Nobody can buy wisdom.

You may have lots of gold and silver,

but you can never buy wisdom.

16 All the pure gold from Ophir will not be enough to buy it.

It is worth more than valuable onyx or sapphires.

17 Neither gold nor beautiful glass is as valuable as wisdom.

A whole pot full of gold could not buy it.

18 As for coral and jasper,

they are not nearly as valuable as wisdom.

Its price is more than the price of rubies.

19 Topaz from Ethiopia is not as valuable as wisdom.

No one can buy it,

not even with pure gold.

20 So where can we find wisdom?

Where can we learn to understand things properly?

21 We cannot see where it is.

No person or animal can see it.

No bird that flies in the sky can see it.

22 In the place of death, they say,

“We have heard only a little about wisdom,

and where to find it.”

23 Only God knows the way to find wisdom.

Only he knows where it is.

24 He can see to the ends of the earth.

He knows what happens everywhere in the world.

25 He decided how strong the wind must be.

He decided the size of the seas.

26 He made a command for the rain

to decide where it should fall.

He chose where storms should go and make thunder.

27 Then he thought about wisdom and its value.

He prepared it and he tested it.

28 God said this to us humans:

“If you want to be wise,

learn to respect the Lord with fear.

If you want to understand things properly,

turn away from evil acts.” ’