Job 28:12–28

¹²“But where shall wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding?^*

¹³Mortals do not know the way to it,^r

and it is not found in the land of the living.^*

¹⁴The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’

and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

¹⁵It cannot be gotten for gold,

and silver cannot be weighed out as its price.

¹⁶It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

in precious onyx or sapphire.^s

¹⁷Gold and glass cannot equal it,

nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.^*

¹⁸No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;

the price of wisdom is above pearls.^*

¹⁹The chrysolite of Cush cannot compare with it,

nor can it be valued in pure gold.^*

²⁰“Where then does wisdom come from?

And where is the place of understanding?^*

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of all living

and concealed from the birds of the air.

²²Abaddon and Death say,

‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’^*

²³“God understands the way to it,

and he knows its place.^*

²⁴For he looks to the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.^*

²⁵When he gave to the wind its weight

and apportioned out the waters by measure,^*

²⁶when he made a decree for the rain,

and a way for the thunderbolt,^*

²⁷then he saw it and declared it;

he established it and searched it out.

²⁸And he said to humankind,

‘Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;

and to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”^*