III. Job’s Search for Wisdom (28:1-28)
No Known Road to Wisdom 128:1 “Surely 2 there is a mine 3 for silver,
and a place where gold is refined. 4
28:2 Iron is taken from the ground, 5
and rock is poured out 6 as copper.
28:3 Man puts an end to the darkness; 7
he searches the farthest recesses
for the ore in the deepest darkness. 8
28:4 Far from where people live 9 he sinks a shaft,
in places travelers have long forgotten, 10
far from other people he dangles and sways. 11
28:5 The earth, from which food comes,
is overturned below as though by fire; 12
28:6 a place whose stones are sapphires 13
and which contains dust of gold; 14
28:7 a hidden path 15 no bird of prey knows –
no falcon’s 16 eye has spotted it.
28:8 Proud beasts 17 have not set foot on it,
and no lion has passed along it.
28:9 On the flinty rock man has set to work 18 with his hand;
he has overturned mountains at their bases. 19
28:10 He has cut out channels 20 through the rocks;
his eyes have spotted 21 every precious thing.
28:11 He has searched 22 the sources 23 of the rivers
and what was hidden he has brought into the light.
28:12 “But wisdom – where can it be found?
Where is the place of understanding?
28:13 Mankind does not know its place; 24
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
28:14 The deep 25 says, ‘It is not with 26 me.’
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
28:15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
28:16 It cannot be measured out for purchase 27 with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx 28 or sapphires.
28:17 Neither gold nor crystal 29 can be compared with it,
nor can a vase 30 of gold match its worth.
28:18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made;
the price 31 of wisdom is more than pearls. 32
28:19 The topaz of Cush 33 cannot be compared with it;
it cannot be purchased with pure gold.
28:20 “But wisdom – where does it come from? 34
Where is the place of understanding?
28:21 For 35 it has been hidden
from the eyes of every living creature,
and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.
28:22 Destruction 36 and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’ 37
28:23 God understands the way to it,
and he alone knows its place.
28:24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and observes everything under the heavens.
28:25 When he made 38 the force of the wind
and measured 39 the waters with a gauge.
28:26 When he imposed a limit 40 for the rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm, 41
28:27 then he looked at wisdom 42 and assessed its value; 43
he established 44 it and examined it closely. 45
28:28 And he said to mankind,
‘The fear of the Lord 46 – that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” 47
33:1 “But now, O Job, listen to my words,
and hear 48 everything I have to say! 49
33:2 See now, I have opened 50 my mouth;
my tongue in my mouth has spoken. 51
33:3 My words come from the uprightness of my heart, 52
and my lips will utter knowledge sincerely. 53
33:4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 54
33:5 Reply to me, if you can;
set your arguments 55 in order before me
and take your stand!
33:6 Look, I am just like you in relation to God;
I too have been molded 56 from clay.
33:7 Therefore no fear of me should terrify you,
nor should my pressure 57 be heavy on you. 58
33:8 “Indeed, you have said in my hearing 59
(I heard the sound of the words!):
33:9 60 ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean 61 and have no iniquity.
33:10 62 Yet God 63 finds occasions 64 with me;
he regards me as his enemy!
33:11 65 He puts my feet in shackles;
he watches closely all my paths.’
33:12 Now in this, you are not right – I answer you, 66
for God is greater than a human being. 67
33:13 Why do you contend against him,
that he does not answer all a person’s 68 words?
33:14 “For God speaks, the first time in one way,
the second time in another,
though a person does not perceive 69 it.
33:15 In a dream, a night vision,
when deep sleep falls on people
as they sleep in their beds.
33:16 Then he gives a revelation 70 to people,
and terrifies them with warnings, 71
33:17 to turn a person from his sin, 72
and to cover a person’s pride. 73
33:18 He spares a person’s life from corruption, 74
his very life from crossing over 75 the river.
33:19 Or a person is chastened 76 by pain on his bed,
and with the continual strife of his bones, 77
33:20 so that his life loathes food,
and his soul rejects appetizing fare. 78
33:21 His flesh wastes away from sight,
and his bones, which were not seen,
are easily visible. 79
33:22 He 80 draws near to the place of corruption,
and his life to the messengers of death. 81
33:23 If there is an angel beside him,
one mediator 82 out of a thousand,
to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness; 83
33:24 and if 84 God 85 is gracious to him and says,
‘Spare 86 him from going down
to the place of corruption,
I have found a ransom for him,’ 87
33:25 then his flesh is restored 88 like a youth’s;
he returns to the days of his youthful vigor. 89
33:26 He entreats God, and God 90 delights in him,
he sees God’s face 91 with rejoicing,
and God 92 restores to him his righteousness. 93
33:27 That person sings 94 to others, 95 saying:
‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,
but I was not punished according to what I deserved. 96
33:28 He redeemed my life 97
from going down to the place of corruption,
and my life sees the light!’
33:29 “Indeed, God does all these things,
twice, three times, in his dealings 99 with a person,
33:30 to turn back his life from the place of corruption,
that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
33:31 Pay attention, Job – listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
33:32 If you have any words, 100 reply to me;
speak, for I want to justify you. 101
33:33 If not, you listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”