Job 28

¹Silver hath beginnings of her veins, and gold hath a place, wherein it is molten.

²Iron is taken out of the earth, & stone resolved with heat, is turned into brass.

³He hath set a time for darkness, & the end of all things he considereth, the stone also of darkness, and the shadow of death.

⁴The torrent divideth from the pilgrim people, them whom the foot of the needy man hath forgotten, and to whom there is no way.

⁵The land, out of which bread grew in his place, is destroyed with fire.

⁶The place of the sapphire the stones thereof, and the clods of it gold.

⁷The bird hath not known the path, neither hath the eye of the vulture beheld it.

⁸The children of merchants have not trodden it, neither hath the lioness passed by it.

⁹He hath stretched forth his hand to the flint, he hath overthrown mountains from the roots.

¹⁰In the rocks he hath cut out rivers, and his eye hath seen every precious thing.

¹¹The depths also of rivers he hath searched, & hid things he hath brought forth to light:

¹²But where is wisdom to be found, and what is the place of understanding?

¹³Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of them that live pleasantly.

¹⁴The depth saith: It is not in me: and the sea speaketh: It is not with me.

¹⁵The finest gold shall not be given for it, neither shall silver be weighed in the change thereof.

¹⁶It shall not be compared with the dyed colours of India, nor with Sardonyx the most precious stone, or with the Sapphire.

¹⁷Gold or glass shall not be equal to it, neither shall vessels of gold be changed for it.

¹⁸High and eminent things shall not be mentioned in comparison of it: and wisdom is drawn out of secret places.

¹⁹The topazius of Æthiopia shall not be equal to it, neither shall it be compared to the cleanest dying.

²⁰From whence then cometh wisdom? And what is the place of understanding?

²¹It is hid from the eyes of all living, the fowls of the air also know it not.

²²Perdition & death have said: With our ears we have heard the fame thereof.

²³God understandeth the way of it, & he knoweth the place thereof.

²⁴For he beholdeth the ends of the world, & looketh on all things that are under heaven.

²⁵Who made a poise to the winds, & weighed the waters in a measure.

²⁶When he gave a law to the rains, & a way to the sounding storms.

²⁷Then he saw it, and declared, and prepared, and searched it.

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