Job 28:1-28 ICB

[1] "There are mines where people dig silver. And there are places where gold is made pure. [2] Iron is taken out of the ground. And copper is melted out of rocks. [3] Miners bring light into the mines. They search even the deepest parts of the mines. They look for metal in places of thick darkness. [4] Miners dig a tunnel far away from where people live. They dig it where people never go. They work far away from people, swinging and swaying from ropes. [5] Food grows on top of the earth. But below ground things are changed as if by fire. [6] Sapphires are found in rocks. And the dust of the earth contains gold. [7] No hawk knows the path. The falcon has not seen it. [8] Proud animals have not walked on this path. And no lions cross over it. [9] Men hit the rocks of flint. They dig away at the bottom of the mountains. [10] Miners cut tunnels through the rock. They see all the treasures there. [11] They search the places where rivers begin. And they bring things hidden there out into the light. [12] "But where can wisdom be found. Where does understanding live? [13] People do not understand the value of wisdom. It cannot be found among living people. [14] The deep ocean says, 'It's not in me.' The sea says, 'It's not in me.' [15] Wisdom cannot be bought with the best gold. Its cost cannot be weighed in silver. [16] Wisdom cannot be bought with fine gold. It cannot be bought with valuable onyx or sapphire gems. [17] Gold and crystal are not as valuable as wisdom. And you cannot buy it with jewels of gold. [18] Coral and jasper are not even worth talking about. The price of wisdom is much greater than rubies. [19] The topaz from Cush cannot compare to wisdom. It cannot even be bought with the purest gold. [20] "So from where does wisdom come? And where does understanding live? [21] It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing. It is hidden even from the birds of the air. [22] The places of destruction and death say, 'We have only heard reports about it.' [23] God understands the way to wisdom. And he is the only one who knows where it lives. [24] This is because God sees to the farthest parts of the earth. And he sees everything under the heavens. [25] Wisdom began when God gave power to the wind. It was when he measured the water and put limits on it. [26] It was when God made rules for the rain. And he set a path for a thunderstorm to follow. [27] Then God looked at wisdom and decided its worth. He set wisdom up and tested it. [28] Then he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to stay away from evil is understanding.'"