Job

Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.

1There is a mine where silver is dug up, and a place where gold is melted and made pure.

2Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.

2Iron is dug out of the ground, and copper is melted out of rock.

3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

3Miners push back the darkness with light. They search the deepest, blackest places for ore.

NoteThe KJV says the miner "searcheth out all perfection." It means he searches every last corner for ore, not that he finds something perfect.

4The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

4A miner digs a shaft far from where anyone lives, in places no foot has walked. He hangs on a rope and swings, far from other people.

5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.

5Food grows on top of the earth. But down below, the ground is torn up as if by fire.

Note"Bread" in the KJV often means food of any kind, not just baked loaves.

6The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.

6Its rocks are where sapphires come from, and its dirt holds bits of gold.

7There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen:

7No bird of prey knows the path down there. No hawk's sharp eye has ever seen it.

8The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

8No proud wild beast has walked that path. No lion has ever prowled along it.

9He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.

9The miner strikes the hard rock with his hand. He digs out mountains right down to their roots.

10He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

10He cuts tunnels through the rock, and his eyes spot every valuable thing.

11He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

11He dams up the underground streams so they stop flowing. He brings hidden things out into the light.

12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

12But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding live?

13Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

13No one knows what wisdom is worth. It is not found anywhere in the land of the living.

14The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.

14The deep ocean says, "It is not in me." The sea says, "It is not with me."

15It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

15You cannot buy wisdom with gold. You cannot weigh out enough silver to pay for it.

16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

16It cannot be priced with the fine gold of Ophir, or with costly onyx or sapphire.

17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.

17Gold and crystal cannot match it. You cannot trade jewels of fine gold for it.

18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

18Coral and quartz are not even worth mentioning. Wisdom is worth more than rubies.

19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

19Topaz from Ethiopia cannot match it. You cannot price it in pure gold.

20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

20So where does wisdom come from? Where does understanding live?

21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.

21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing. Even the birds in the sky cannot see it.

22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

22The place of ruin and Death say, "We have only heard a rumor about it."

NoteThe KJV word here is "Destruction," which stands for the place of the dead. The chapter pictures ruin and death as two people speaking.

23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

23God understands the way to wisdom, and he knows where it lives.

24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

24He looks out to the far ends of the earth. He sees everything under the whole sky.

25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

25He set how much the wind should weigh. He measured out exactly how much water there would be.

26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

26He made a rule for the rain, and marked a path for the thunderbolt to travel.

27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

27Back then he looked at wisdom and measured its worth. He set it in place and studied it fully.

28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

28And he said to people, "Look: to fear the Lord, that is wisdom. To turn away from evil, that is understanding."

Note"Fear" here means deep respect and awe, not being scared.