Job Chapter 28
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
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For thou writest bitter things against me,
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And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my youth:
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Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks,
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And markest all my paths;
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Thou settest a bound to the soles of my feet:
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Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth,
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Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
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Man, that is born of a woman,
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Is of few days, and full of trouble.
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He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down:
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He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
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And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one,
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And bringest me into judgment with thee?
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Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
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Seeing his days are determined,
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The number of his months is with thee,
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And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
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Look away from him, that he may rest,
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Till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.
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For there is hope of a tree,
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If it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
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And that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
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Though the root thereof wax old in the earth,
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And the stock thereof die in the ground;
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Yet through the scent of water it will bud,
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And put forth boughs like a plant.
28
But man dieth, and is laid low:
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold which they refine;
2
Iron is taken out of the dust, and copper is molten out of the stone.
3
[Man] putteth an end to the darkness, and exploreth to the utmost limit, the stones of darkness and of the shadow of death.
4
He openeth a shaft far from the inhabitants [of the earth]: forgotten of the foot, they hang suspended; away below men they hover.
5
As for the earth, out of it cometh bread, and underneath it is turned up as by fire;
6
The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and it hath dust of gold.
7
It is a path no bird of prey knoweth, and the vulture's eye hath not seen it;
8
The proud beasts have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed over it.
9
[Man] putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock, he overturneth the mountains by the root.
10
He cutteth out channels in the rocks, and his eye seeth every precious thing.
11
He bindeth the streams that they drip not, and what is hidden he bringeth forth to light.
12
But wisdom, where shall it be found? and where is the place of understanding?
13
Man knoweth not the value thereof; and it is not found in the land of the living.
14
The deep saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me.
15
Choice gold cannot be given for it, nor silver be weighed for its price.
16
It is not set in the balance with gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, and the sapphire.
17
Gold and glass cannot be compared to it, nor vessels of fine gold be its exchange.
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Corals and crystal are no more remembered; yea, the acquisition of wisdom is above rubies.
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The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be compared to it, neither shall it be set in the balance with pure gold.
20
Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21
For it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the fowl of the heavens.
22
Destruction and death say, We have heard its report with our ears.
23
God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth its place:
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For he looketh to the ends of the earth, he seeth under the whole heaven.
25
In making a weight for the wind, and meting out the waters by measure,
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In appointing a statute for the rain, and a way for the thunder's flash:
27
Then did he see it, and declare it; he established it, yea, and searched it out;
28
And unto man he said, Lo, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
For there is a place for the silver, whence it comes, and a place for the gold, whence it is refined.
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For iron comes out of the earth, and brass is hewn out like stone.
3
He has set a bound to darkness, and he searches out every limit: a stone [is] darkness, and the shadow of death.
4
There is a cutting off of the torrent by reason of dust: so they that forget the right way are weakened; they are removed from [among] men.
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[As for] the earth, out of it shall come bread: under it has been turned up as it were fire.
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Her stones are the place of the sapphire: and [her] dust [supplies] man with gold.
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[There is] a path, the fowl has not known it, neither has the eye of the vulture seen it:
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neither have the sons of the proud trodden it, a lion has not passed upon it.
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He has stretched forth his hand on the sharp [rock], and turned up mountains by the roots:
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and he has interrupted the whirlpools of rivers, and mine eye has seen every precious thing.
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And he has laid bare the depths of rivers, and has brought his power to light.
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But whence has wisdom been discovered? and what is the place of knowledge?
13
A mortal has not known its way, neither indeed has it been discovered among men.
14
The depth said, It is not in me: and the sea said, It is not with me.
15
One shall not give fine gold instead of it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it.
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Neither shall it be compared with gold of Sophir, with the precious onyx and sapphire.
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Gold and crystal shall not be equalled to it, neither shall vessels of gold be its exchange.
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Coral and fine pearl shall not be mentioned: but do thou esteem wisdom above the most precious things.
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The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equalled to it; it shall not be compared with pure gold.
20
Whence then is wisdom found? and of what kind is the place of understanding?
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It has escaped the notice of every man, and has been hidden from the birds of the sky.
22
Destruction and Death said, We have heard the report of it.
23
God has well ordered the way of it, and he knows the place of it.
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For he surveys the whole [earth] under heaven, knowing the things in the earth:
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all that he has made; the weight of the winds, the measures of the water.
26
When he made [them], thus he saw and numbered them, and made a way for the pealing of the thunder.
27
Then he saw it, and declared it: he prepared it [and] traced it out.
28
And he said to man, Behold, godliness is wisdom; and to abstain from evil is understanding.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Habet argentum, venarum suarum principia: et auro locus est, in quo conflatur.
2
Ferrum de terra tollitur: et lapis solutus calore, in æs vertitur.
3
Tempus posuit tenebris, et universorum finem ipse considerat, lapidem quoque caliginis, et umbram mortis.
4
Dividit torrens a populo peregrinante, eos, quos oblitus est pes egentis hominis, et invios.
5
Terra, de qua oriebatur panis in loco suo, igni subversa est.
6
Locus sapphiri lapides eius, et glebæ illius aurum.
7
Semitam ignoravit avis, nec intuitus est eam oculus vulturis.
8
Non calcaverunt eam filii institorum, nec pertransivit per eam leæna.
9
Ad silicem extendit manum suam, subvertit a radicibus montes.
10
In petris rivos excidit, et omne pretiosum vidit oculus eius.
11
Profunda quoque fluviorum scrutatus est, et abscondita in lucem produxit.
12
Sapientia vero ubi invenitur? et quis est locus intelligentiæ?
13
Nescit homo pretium eius, nec invenitur in terra suaviter viventium.
14
Abyssus dicit: Non est in me: et mare loquitur: Non est mecum.
15
Non dabitur aurum obrizum pro ea, nec appendetur argentum in commutatione eius.
16
Non conferetur tinctis Indiæ coloribus, nec lapidi sardonycho pretiosissimo, vel sapphiro.
17
Non adæquabitur ei aurum vel vitrum, nec commutabuntur pro ea vasa auri:
18
Excelsa et eminentia non memorabuntur comparatione eius: trahitur autem sapientia de occultis.
19
Non adæquabitur ei topazius de Æthiopia, nec tincturæ mundissimæ componetur.
20
Unde ergo sapientia venit? et quis est locus intelligentiæ?
21
Abscondita est ab oculis omnium viventium, volucres quoque cæli latet.
22
Perditio et mors dixerunt: Auribus nostris audivimus famam eius.
23
Deus intelligit viam eius, et ipse novit locum illius.
24
Ipse enim fines mundi intuetur: et omnia, quæ sub cælo sunt, respicit.
25
Qui fecit ventis pondus, et aquas appendit in mensura.
26
Quando ponebat pluviis legem, et viam procellis sonantibus:
27
Tunc vidit illam, et enarravit, et præparavit, et investigavit.
28
Et dixit homini: Ecce timor Domini, ipsa est sapientia: et recedere a malo, intelligentia.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
“Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
2
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
3
Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4
He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
5
As for the earth, out of it comes bread. Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6
Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
7
That path no bird of prey knows, neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
8
The proud animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
9
He puts his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
10
He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
11
He binds the streams that they don’t trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12
“But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13
Man doesn’t know its price, and it isn’t found in the land of the living.
14
The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’ The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’
15
It can’t be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.
16
It can’t be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17
Gold and glass can’t equal it, neither will it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18
No mention will be made of coral or of crystal. Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19
The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it. It won’t be valued with pure gold.
20
Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?
21
Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
22
Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23
“God understands its way, and he knows its place.
24
For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
25
He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
26
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27
then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
28
To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;
2
Iron from the dust is taken, And <FI>from<Fi> the firm stone brass.
3
An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.
4
A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.
5
The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.
6
A place of the sapphire <FI>are<Fi> its stones, And it hath dust of gold.
7
A path--not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,
8
Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.
9
Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.
10
Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.
11
From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out <FI>to<Fi> light.
12
And the wisdom--whence is it found? And where <FI>is<Fi> this, the place of understanding?
13
Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14
The deep hath said, `It <FI>is<Fi> not in me,' And the sea hath said, `It is not with me.'
15
Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed--its price.
16
It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
17
Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor <FI>is<Fi> its exchange a vessel of fine gold.
18
Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom <FI>is<Fi> above rubies.
19
Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.
20
And the wisdom--whence doth it come? And where <FI>is<Fi> this, the place of understanding?
21
It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.
22
Destruction and death have said: `With our ears we have heard its fame.'
23
God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.
24
For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,
25
To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.
26
In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,
27
Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,
28
And He saith to man: --`Lo, fear of the Lord, that <FI>is<Fi> wisdom, And to turn from evil <FI>is<Fi> understanding.'
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).