Job 28–30

Chapter 28

Job Speaks of Wisdom and Understanding

¹“People know where to mine silver

and how to refine gold.

²They know where to dig iron from the earth

and how to smelt copper from rock.

³They know how to shine light in the darkness

and explore the farthest regions of the earth

as they search in the dark for ore.

⁴They sink a mine shaft into the earth

far from where anyone lives.

They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.

⁵Food is grown on the earth above,

but down below, the earth is melted as by fire.

⁶Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli,

and the dust contains gold.

⁷These are treasures no bird of prey can see,

no falcon’s eye observe.

⁸No wild animal has walked upon these treasures;

no lion has ever set his paw there.

⁹People know how to tear apart flinty rocks

and overturn the roots of mountains.

¹⁰They cut tunnels in the rocks

and uncover precious stones.

¹¹They dam up the trickling streams

and bring to light the hidden treasures.

¹²“But do people know where to find wisdom?

Where can they find understanding?

¹³No one knows where to find it,

for it is not found among the living.

¹⁴‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.

‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.

¹⁵It cannot be bought with gold.

It cannot be purchased with silver.

¹⁶It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,

greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

¹⁷Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.

It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.

¹⁸Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.

The price of wisdom is far above rubies.

¹⁹Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it.

It’s worth more than the purest gold.

²⁰“But do people know where to find wisdom?

Where can they find understanding?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.

Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.

²²Destruction and Death say,

‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’

²³“God alone understands the way to wisdom;

he knows where it can be found,

²⁴for he looks throughout the whole earth

and sees everything under the heavens.

²⁵He decided how hard the winds should blow

and how much rain should fall.

²⁶He made the laws for the rain

and laid out a path for the lightning.

²⁷Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.

He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.

²⁸And this is what he says to all humanity:

‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;

to forsake evil is real understanding.’ ”

Chapter 29

Job Speaks of His Former Blessings

Job continued speaking:

²“I long for the years gone by

when God took care of me,

³when he lit up the way before me

and I walked safely through the darkness.

⁴When I was in my prime,

God’s friendship was felt in my home.

⁵The Almighty was still with me,

and my children were around me.

⁶My steps were awash in cream,

and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.

⁷“Those were the days when I went to the city gate

and took my place among the honored leaders.

⁸The young stepped aside when they saw me,

and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.

⁹The princes stood in silence

and put their hands over their mouths.

¹⁰The highest officials of the city stood quietly,

holding their tongues in respect.

¹¹“All who heard me praised me.

All who saw me spoke well of me.

¹²For I assisted the poor in their need

and the orphans who required help.

¹³I helped those without hope, and they blessed me.

And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.

¹⁴Everything I did was honest.

Righteousness covered me like a robe,

and I wore justice like a turban.

¹⁵I served as eyes for the blind

and feet for the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the poor

and assisted strangers who needed help.

¹⁷I broke the jaws of godless oppressors

and plucked their victims from their teeth.

¹⁸“I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family

after a long, good life.

¹⁹For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,

whose branches are refreshed with the dew.

²⁰New honors are constantly bestowed on me,

and my strength is continually renewed.’

²¹“Everyone listened to my advice.

They were silent as they waited for me to speak.

²²And after I spoke, they had nothing to add,

for my counsel satisfied them.

²³They longed for me to speak as people long for rain.

They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.

²⁴When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.

My look of approval was precious to them.

²⁵Like a chief, I told them what to do.

I lived like a king among his troops

and comforted those who mourned.

Chapter 30

Job Speaks of His Anguish

¹“But now I am mocked by people younger than I,

by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.

²A lot of good they are to me—

those worn-out wretches!

³They are gaunt from poverty and hunger.

They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.

⁴They pluck wild greens from among the bushes

and eat from the roots of broom trees.

⁵They are driven from human society,

and people shout at them as if they were thieves.

⁶So now they live in frightening ravines,

in caves and among the rocks.

⁷They sound like animals howling among the bushes,

huddled together beneath the nettles.

⁸They are nameless fools,

outcasts from society.

⁹“And now they mock me with vulgar songs!

They taunt me!

¹⁰They despise me and won’t come near me,

except to spit in my face.

¹¹For God has cut my bowstring.

He has humbled me,

so they have thrown off all restraint.

¹²These outcasts oppose me to my face.

They send me sprawling

and lay traps in my path.

¹³They block my road

and do everything they can to destroy me.

They know I have no one to help me.

¹⁴They come at me from all directions.

They jump on me when I am down.

¹⁵I live in terror now.

My honor has blown away in the wind,

and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.

¹⁶“And now my life seeps away.

Depression haunts my days.

¹⁷At night my bones are filled with pain,

which gnaws at me relentlessly.

¹⁸With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt.

He grips me by the collar of my coat.

¹⁹He has thrown me into the mud.

I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.

²⁰“I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer.

I stand before you, but you don’t even look.

²¹You have become cruel toward me.

You use your power to persecute me.

²²You throw me into the whirlwind

and destroy me in the storm.

²³And I know you are sending me to my death—

the destination of all who live.

²⁴“Surely no one would turn against the needy

when they cry for help in their trouble.

²⁵Did I not weep for those in trouble?

Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?

²⁶So I looked for good, but evil came instead.

I waited for the light, but darkness fell.

²⁷My heart is troubled and restless.

Days of suffering torment me.

²⁸I walk in gloom, without sunlight.

I stand in the public square and cry for help.

²⁹Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals

and a companion to owls.

³⁰My skin has turned dark,

and my bones burn with fever.

³¹My harp plays sad music,

and my flute accompanies those who weep.