he searches the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft,
in places forgotten by the foot of man;
far from men he dangles and sways...
No bird knows the hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen it.
Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
He tunnels through the rock,
his eyes see all its treasures.
He searches the sources of the rivers
and brings hidden things to light.
But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
Man does not comprehend its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
The deep says, "It's not in me."
The sea says, "It's not with me."
It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed in silver...
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds of the air.
Destruction and Death say,
"Only a rumor of it has reached your ears."
God understands the way to it,
and he alone knows where it dwells.
For he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters
when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
then he looked at wisdom and appraised it.
He confirmed it and tested it,
and he said to man:
"The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding."
--Job 28
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