1 Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine; 2 Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass. 3 An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade. 4 A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered. 5 The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire. 6 A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it hath dust of gold. 7 A path — not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite, 8 Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion. 9 Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains. 10 Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen. 11 From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out [to] light. 12 And the wisdom — whence is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding? 13 Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living. 14 The deep hath said, 'It [is] not in me,' And the sea hath said, 'It is not with me.' 15 Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed — its price. 16 It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire, 17 Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold. 18 Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies. 19 Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued. 20 And the wisdom — whence doth it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding? 21 It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden. 22 Destruction and death have said: 'With our ears we have heard its fame.' 23 God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place. 24 For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see, 25 To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure. 26 In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices, 27 Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out, 28 And He saith to man: — 'Lo, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.'
Job · Young's Literal Translation
Job 28 Young's Literal Translation
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)