V. The Poem on Wisdom
Chapter 28
Where Is Wisdom to Be Found?
1 There is indeed a mine for silver,
and a place for refining gold.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper smelted out of stone.
3 He sets a boundary for the darkness;
the farthest confines he explores.
4 He breaks open a shaft far from habitation,
unknown to human feet;
suspended, far from people, they sway.
5 The earth, though out of it comes forth bread,
is in fiery upheaval underneath.
6 Its stones are the source of lapis lazuli,
and there is gold in its dust.
7 The path no bird of prey knows,
nor has the hawk’s eye seen it.
8 The proud beasts have not trodden it,
nor has the lion gone that way.
9 He sets his hand to the flinty rock,
and overturns the mountains at their root.
10 He splits channels in the rocks;
his eyes behold all that is precious.
11 He dams up the sources of the streams,
and brings hidden things to light.
12 As for wisdom—where can she be found?
Where is the place of understanding?(A)
13 Mortals do not know her path,
nor is she to be found in the land of the living.
14 The Deep says, “She is not in me”;
and the Sea says, “She is not with me.”
15 Solid gold cannot purchase her,
nor can her price be paid with silver.(B)
16 She cannot be bought with gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli,
17 Gold or crystal cannot equal her,
nor can golden vessels be exchanged for her.
18 Neither coral nor crystal should be thought of;
the value of wisdom surpasses pearls.
19 Ethiopian topaz does not equal her,
nor can she be weighed out for pure gold.
20 As for wisdom, where does she come from?
Where is the place of understanding?
21 She is hidden from the eyes of every living thing;
even from the birds of the air she is concealed.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
“Only by rumor have we heard of her.”
23 But God understands the way to her;(C)
it is he who knows her place.(D)
24 For he beholds the ends of the earth
and sees all that is under the heavens.
25 When he weighed out the wind,
and measured out the waters;
26 When he made a rule for the rain
and a path for the thunderbolts,(E)
27 Then he saw wisdom and appraised her,
established her, and searched her out.
28 And to mortals he said:
See: the fear of the Lord is wisdom;
and avoiding evil is understanding.(F)
Footnotes
- 28:1–28
- 28:3–4
- 28:16
- 28:22
- 28:23–27
- 28:28
Cross references
- 28:12 : Eccl 7:24–25; Bar 3:14–15, 29–33.
- 28:15 : Prv 3:14; 8:10–11, 19; 16:16; Wis 7:7–11.
- 28:23–27 : Prv 8:22–31.
- 28:23 : Prv 2:6; Sir 1:1; Jas 1:5.
- 28:26 : Jb 38:25; Prv 3:20.
- 28:28 : Ps 111:10; Prv 1:7; 9:10; Sir 1:13–21.
