Job 27-28

Job 27

¹And Job addeth to lift up his simile, and saith: --

²God liveth! He turned aside my judgment, And the Mighty -- He made my soul bitter.

³For all the while my breath is in me, And the spirit of God in my nostrils.

⁴My lips do not speak perverseness, And my tongue doth not utter deceit.

⁵Pollution to me -- if I justify you, Till I expire I turn not aside mine integrity from me.

⁶On my righteousness I have laid hold, And I do not let it go, My heart doth not reproach me while I live.

⁷As the wicked is my enemy, And my withstander as the perverse.

⁸For what is the hope of the profane, When He doth cut off? When God doth cast off his soul?

⁹His cry doth God hear, When distress cometh on him?

¹⁰On the Mighty doth he delight himself? Call God at all times?

¹¹I shew you by the hand of God, That which is with the Mighty I hide not.

¹²Lo, ye -- all of you -- have seen, And why is this -- ye are altogether vain?

¹³This is the portion of wicked man with God, And the inheritance of terrible ones From the Mighty they receive.

¹⁴If his sons multiply -- for them is a sword. And his offspring are not satisfied with bread.

¹⁵His remnant in death are buried, And his widows do not weep.

¹⁶If he heap up as dust silver, And as clay prepare clothing,

¹⁷He prepareth -- and the righteous putteth it on, And the silver the innocent doth apportion.

¹⁸He hath built as a moth his house, And as a booth a watchman hath made.

¹⁹Rich he lieth down, and he is not gathered, His eyes he hath opened, and he is not.

²⁰Overtake him as waters do terrors, By night stolen him away hath a whirlwind.

²¹Take him up doth an east wind, and he goeth, And it frighteneth him from his place,

²²And it casteth at him, and doth not spare, From its hand he diligently fleeth.

²³It clappeth at him its hands, And it hisseth at him from his place.

Job 28

¹Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;

²Iron from the dust is taken, And from the firm stone brass.

³An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.

⁴A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.

⁵The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.

⁶A place of the sapphire are its stones, And it hath dust of gold.

⁷A path -- not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,

⁸Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.

⁹Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.

¹⁰Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.

¹¹From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out to light.

¹²And the wisdom -- whence is it found? And where is this, the place of understanding?

¹³Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The deep hath said, ‘It is not in me,' And the sea hath said, ‘It is not with me.'

¹⁵Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed -- its price.

¹⁶It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,

¹⁷Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor is its exchange a vessel of fine gold.

¹⁸Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom is above rubies.

¹⁹Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.

²⁰And the wisdom -- whence doth it come? And where is this, the place of understanding?

²¹It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.

²²Destruction and death have said: ‘With our ears we have heard its fame.'

²³God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.

²⁴For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,

²⁵To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.

²⁶In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,

²⁷Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,

²⁸And He saith to man: -- ‘Lo, fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to turn from evil is understanding.'