Job 28

NEW JERUSALEM	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 Silver has its mines, and gold a place for refining.	1 "Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
2 Iron is extracted from the earth, the smelted rocks yield copper.	2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore.
3 Man makes an end of darkness, to the utmost limit he digs the black rock in shadow dark as death.	3 Men put an end to darkness, and search out to the farthest bound the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
4 Foreigners bore into ravines in unfrequented places, swinging suspended far from human beings.	4 They open shafts in a valley away from where men live; they are forgotten by travelers, they hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.
5 That earth from which bread comes is ravaged underground by fire.	5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread; but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6 There, the rocks have veins of sapphire and their dust contains gold.	6 Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.
7 That is a path unknown to birds of prey, unseen by the eye of any vulture;	7 "That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
8 a path not trodden by the lordly beasts, where no lion ever walked.	8 The proud beasts have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it.
9 Man attacks the flint, upturning mountains by their roots.	9 "Man puts his hand to the flinty rock, and overturns mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts canals through the rock, on the watch for anything precious.	10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He explores the sources of rivers, bringing hidden things to light.	11 He binds up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hid he brings forth to light.
12 But where does Wisdom come from? Where is Intel igence to be found?	12 "But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 No human being knows the way to her, she is not to be found on earth where they live.	13 Man does not know the way to it, and it is not found in the land of the living.
14 'She is not in me,' says the Abyss; 'Nor here,' replies the Sea.	14 The deep says, 'It is not in me,' and the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 She cannot be bought with solid gold, nor paid for with any weight of silver,	15 It cannot be gotten for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16 nor valued against gold of Ophir, precious agate or sapphire.	16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Neither gold nor glass compares with her, for her, a vase of fine gold would be no exchange,	17 Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 let alone coral or crystal: better go fishing for Wisdom than for pearls!	18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls.
19 Topaz from Cush is worthless in comparison, and gold, even refined, is valueless.	19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 But where does Wisdom come from? Where is Intel igence to be found?	20 "Whence then comes wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21 She cannot be seen by any living creature, she is hidden from the birds of the sky.	21 It is hid from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Perdition and Death both say, 'We have heard only rumours of her.'	22 Abaddon and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'
23 God alone understands her path and knows where she is to be found.	23 "God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.
24 (For he sees to the remotest parts of the earth, and observes al that lies under heaven.)	24 For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he wil ed to give weight to the wind and measured out the waters with a gauge,	25 When he gave to the wind its weight, and meted out the waters by measure;
26 when he imposed a law on the rain and mapped a route for thunderclaps to fol ow,	26 when he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder;
27 then he saw and evaluated her, looked her through and through, assessing her.	27 then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out.
28 Then he said to human beings, 'Wisdom? - that is fear of the Lord; Intel igence? - avoidance of evil.'	28 And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'"