1 Truly there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is washed out. 2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone is changed into brass by the fire. 3 Man puts an end to the dark, searching out to the farthest limit the stones of the deep places of the dark. 4 He makes a deep mine far away from those living in the light of day; when they go about on the earth, they have no knowledge of those who are under them, who are hanging far from men, twisting from side to side on a cord. 5 As for the earth, bread comes out of it; but under its face it is turned up as if by fire. 6 Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold. 7 No bird has knowledge of it, and the hawk's eye has never seen it. 8 The great beasts have not gone over it, and the cruel lion has not taken that way. 9 Man puts out his hand on the hard rock, overturning mountains by the roots. 10 He makes deep ways, cut through the rock, and his eye sees everything of value. 11 He keeps back the streams from flowing, and makes the secret things come out into the light. 12 But where may wisdom be seen? and where is the resting-place of knowledge? 13 Man has not seen the way to it, and it is not in the land of the living. 14 The deep waters say, It is not in me: and the sea says, It is not with me. 15 Gold may not be given for it, or a weight of silver in payment for it. 16 It may not be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the onyx of great price, or the sapphire. 17 Gold and glass are not equal to it in price, and it may not be exchanged for jewels of the best gold. 18 There is no need to say anything about coral or crystal; and the value of wisdom is greater than that of pearls. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia is not equal to it, and it may not be valued with the best gold. 20 From where then does wisdom come, and where is the resting-place of knowledge? 21 For it is kept secret from the eyes of all living, unseen by the birds of the air. 22 Destruction and Death say, We have only had word of it with our ears. 23 God has knowledge of the way to it, and of its resting-place; 24 For his eyes go to the ends of the earth, and he sees everything under heaven. 25 When he made a weight for the wind, measuring out the waters; 26 When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the thunder-flames; 27 Then he saw it, and put it on record; he gave it its fixed form, searching it out completely. 28 And he said to man, Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to keep from evil is the way to knowledge.
Job 28 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (26)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Peter 1:7; Malachi 3:2–3; Proverbs 17:3; Isaiah 48:10; Proverbs 27:21
- 2 Deuteronomy 8:9; Genesis 4:22; Numbers 31:22; 1 Chronicles 22:14
- 3 Ecclesiastes 1:13; Job 38:16–17; Proverbs 2:4; Job 12:22; Matthew 6:33
- 5 Isaiah 28:25–29; Psalm 104:14–15; Genesis 1:11–12; Genesis 1:29; Ezekiel 28:13–14
- 6 Job 28:16; Exodus 24:10; Song of Songs 5:14; Revelation 21:19; Isaiah 54:11
- 7 Job 11:6; Job 28:21–23; Romans 11:33; Job 38:24; Job 38:19
- 9 Nahum 1:4–6
- 10 Proverbs 24:4; Proverbs 14:23; Habakkuk 3:9
- 11 1 Corinthians 4:5; Isaiah 45:2–3; Job 26:8; Isaiah 37:25; Isaiah 44:27
- 12 Proverbs 2:4–6; Job 28:20; James 1:5; Proverbs 3:19; Colossians 2:3
- 13 Proverbs 8:11; Proverbs 8:18–19; Proverbs 3:14–15; Proverbs 23:23; Matthew 13:44–46
- 14 Romans 11:33–34
- 15 Proverbs 16:16; Proverbs 8:19; Proverbs 3:13–15; Proverbs 8:10–11; Proverbs 8:17
- 16 Psalm 45:9; Isaiah 13:12; Ezekiel 28:13; Exodus 28:20; 1 Chronicles 29:4
- 17 Revelation 22:1; Proverbs 16:16; Revelation 4:6; Ezekiel 1:22; Revelation 21:11
- 18 Proverbs 3:15; Proverbs 31:10; Ezekiel 27:16; Lamentations 4:7; Matthew 7:6
- 19 Exodus 39:10; Proverbs 8:19; Exodus 28:17; Ezekiel 28:13; Revelation 21:20
- 20 James 1:5; Job 28:12; Job 28:28; James 1:17; Job 28:23
- 21 Psalm 49:3–4; Matthew 11:25; Colossians 2:3; 1 Corinthians 2:7–10; Matthew 13:35
- 22 Job 26:6; Psalm 83:10–12; Job 28:14
- 23 Proverbs 8:22–31; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Jude 25; Romans 11:33; Proverbs 2:6
- 24 Proverbs 15:3; Zechariah 4:10; Revelation 5:6; 2 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 33:13–14
- 25 Psalm 135:7; Isaiah 40:12; Job 12:15
- 26 Job 38:25; Job 37:3; Zechariah 10:1; Jeremiah 14:22; Psalm 29:3–10
- 27 Psalm 19:1; Proverbs 8:22–29
- 28 Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 3:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For Thou hast said unto man, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;" and desire not to seem wise, because, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." But I had now found the goodly pearl, which, selling all that I had, I ought to have bought; and I hesitated.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)