Job 27-28

New International Version

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

27 And Job continued his discourse:^(A)

²“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,^(B)
    the Almighty,^(C) who has made my life bitter,^(D)
³as long as I have life within me,
    the breath of God^(E) in my nostrils,
⁴my lips will not say anything wicked,
    and my tongue will not utter lies.^(F)
⁵I will never admit you are in the right;
    till I die, I will not deny my integrity.^(G)
⁶I will maintain my innocence^(H) and never let go of it;
    my conscience^(I) will not reproach me as long as I live.^(J)

⁷“May my enemy be like the wicked,^(K)
    my adversary^(L) like the unjust!
⁸For what hope have the godless^(M) when they are cut off,
    when God takes away their life?^(N)
⁹Does God listen to their cry
    when distress comes upon them?^(O)
¹⁰Will they find delight in the Almighty?^(P)
    Will they call on God at all times?

¹¹“I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways^(Q) of the Almighty I will not conceal.^(R)
¹²You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?

¹³“Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
    the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:^(S)
¹⁴However many his children,^(T) their fate is the sword;^(U)
    his offspring will never have enough to eat.^(V)
¹⁵The plague will bury those who survive him,
    and their widows will not weep for them.^(W)
¹⁶Though he heaps up silver like dust^(X)
    and clothes like piles of clay,^(Y)
¹⁷what he lays up^(Z) the righteous will wear,^(AA)
    and the innocent will divide his silver.^(AB)
¹⁸The house^(AC) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,^(AD)
    like a hut^(AE) made by a watchman.
¹⁹He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;^(AF)
    when he opens his eyes, all is gone.^(AG)
²⁰Terrors^(AH) overtake him like a flood;^(AI)
    a tempest snatches him away in the night.^(AJ)
²¹The east wind^(AK) carries him off, and he is gone;^(AL)
    it sweeps him out of his place.^(AM)
²²It hurls itself against him without mercy^(AN)
    as he flees headlong^(AO) from its power.^(AP)
²³It claps its hands^(AQ) in derision
    and hisses him out of his place.”^(AR)

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

28 There is a mine for silver
    and a place where gold is refined.^(AS)
²Iron is taken from the earth,
    and copper is smelted from ore.^(AT)
³Mortals put an end to the darkness;^(AU)
    they search out the farthest recesses
    for ore in the blackest darkness.^(AV)
⁴Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,^(AW)
    in places untouched by human feet;
    far from other people they dangle and sway.
⁵The earth, from which food comes,^(AX)
    is transformed below as by fire;
⁶lapis lazuli^(AY) comes from its rocks,
    and its dust contains nuggets of gold.^(AZ)
⁷No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
    no falcon’s eye has seen it.^(BA)
⁸Proud beasts^(BB) do not set foot on it,
    and no lion prowls there.^(BC)
⁹People assault the flinty rock^(BD) with their hands
    and lay bare the roots of the mountains.^(BE)
¹⁰They tunnel through the rock;^(BF)
    their eyes see all its treasures.^(BG)
¹¹They search^[a] the sources of the rivers^(BH)
    and bring hidden things^(BI) to light.

¹²But where can wisdom be found?^(BJ)
    Where does understanding dwell?^(BK)
¹³No mortal comprehends its worth;^(BL)
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.^(BM)
¹⁴The deep^(BN) says, “It is not in me”;
    the sea^(BO) says, “It is not with me.”
¹⁵It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.^(BP)
¹⁶It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,^(BQ)
    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.^(BR)
¹⁷Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,^(BS)
    nor can it be had for jewels of gold.^(BT)
¹⁸Coral^(BU) and jasper^(BV) are not worthy of mention;
    the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.^(BW)
¹⁹The topaz^(BX) of Cush^(BY) cannot compare with it;
    it cannot be bought with pure gold.^(BZ)

²⁰Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?^(CA)
²¹It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.^(CB)
²²Destruction^[b]^(CC) and Death^(CD) say,
    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
²³God understands the way to it
    and he alone^(CE) knows where it dwells,^(CF)
²⁴for he views the ends of the earth^(CG)
    and sees everything under the heavens.^(CH)
²⁵When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,^(CI)
²⁶when he made a decree for the rain^(CJ)
    and a path for the thunderstorm,^(CK)
²⁷then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.^(CL)
²⁸And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil^(CM) is understanding.”^(CN)