Job 28:12-28
New American Standard Bible
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12 “But (A)where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 (B)Mankind does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 (C)Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 (D)Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold.
18 Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of (E)wisdom is more valuable than pearls.
19 The topaz of [a]Cush cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in (F)pure gold.
20 (G)Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is this place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature,
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 [b](H)Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
23 “(I)God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He (J)looks to the ends of the earth;
He sees everything under the heavens.
25 When He imparted (K)weight to the wind,
And (L)assessed the waters by measure,
26 When He made a (M)limit for the rain,
And a course for the (N)thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28 And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the (O)fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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