The Book of Job (WEB)

28: 1"Surely there is a mine for silver,
      And a place for gold which they refine.

 ^28:2Iron is taken out of the earth,
      And copper is smelted out of the ore.

 ^28:3Man sets an end to darkness,
      And searches out, to the furthest bound,
      The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

 ^28:4He breaks open a shaft away from where people live.
      They are forgotten by the foot.
      They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.

 ^28:5As for the earth, out of it comes bread;
      Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

 ^28:6Sapphires come from its rocks.
      It has dust of gold.

 ^28:7That path no bird of prey knows,
      Neither has the falcon's eye seen it.

 ^28:8The proud animals have not trodden it,
      Nor has the fierce lion passed by there.

 ^28:9He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock,
      And he overturns the mountains by the roots.

 ^28:10He cuts out channels among the rocks.
      His eye sees every precious thing.

 ^28:11He binds the streams that they don't trickle;
      The thing that is hidden he brings forth to light.

  ^28:12"But where shall wisdom be found?
      Where is the place of understanding?

 ^28:13Man doesn't know its price;
      Neither is it found in the land of the living.

 ^28:14The deep says, 'It isn't in me.'
      The sea says, 'It isn't with me.'

 ^28:15It can't be gotten for gold,
      Neither shall silver be weighed for its price.

 ^28:16It can't be valued with the gold of Ophir,
      With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

 ^28:17Gold and glass can't equal it,
      Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

 ^28:18No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal:
      Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

 ^28:19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,
      Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

 ^28:20Whence then comes wisdom?
      Where is the place of understanding?

 ^28:21Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living,
      And kept close from the birds of the sky.

 ^28:22Destruction and Death say,
      'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'

  ^28:23"God understands its way,
      And he knows its place.

 ^28:24For he looks to the ends of the earth,
      And sees under the whole sky.

 ^28:25He establishes the force of the wind;
      Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.

 ^28:26When he made a decree for the rain,
      And a way for the lightning of the thunder;

 ^28:27Then did he see it, and declare it.
      He established it, yes, and searched it out.

 ^28:28To man he said,
      'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.
      To depart from evil is understanding.'"

World English Bible