[1] Job Continues Gold and silver are mined, then purified; [2] the same is done with iron and copper. [3] Miners carry lanterns deep into the darkness to search for these metals. [4] They dig tunnels in distant, unknown places, where they dangle by ropes. [5] Far beneath the grain fields, fires are built to break loose those rocks [6] that have jewels or gold. [7] Miners go to places unseen by the eyes of hawks; [8] they walk on soil unknown to the proudest lions. [9] With their own hands they remove sharp rocks and uproot mountains. [10] They dig through the rocks in search of jewels and precious metals. [11] They also uncover the sources of rivers and discover secret places. [12] But where is wisdom found? [13] No human knows the way. [14] Nor can it be discovered in the deepest sea. [15] It is worth much more than silver or pure gold [16] or precious stones. [17] Nothing is its equal- not gold or costly glass. [18] Wisdom is worth much more than coral, jasper, or rubies. [19] All the topaz of Ethiopia and the finest gold cannot compare with it. [20] Where then is wisdom? [21] It is hidden from human eyes and even from birds. [22] Death and destruction have merely heard rumors about where it is found. [23] God is the only one who knows the way to wisdom, [24] because he sees everything beneath the heavens. [25] When God divided out the wind and the water, [26] and when he decided the path for rain and lightning, [27] he also determined the truth and defined wisdom. [28] God told us, "Wisdom means that you respect me, the Lord, and turn from sin."
