כִּי יֵשׁ לַכֶּסֶף מוֹצָא ומָקוֹם לַזָּהָב יָזֹקּוּ

For there is a source of silver, an area where silver is found or extracted, and a place where gold is refined from dross.

בַּרְזֶל מֵעָפָר יֻקָּח וְאֶבֶן יָצוּק נְחוּשָׁה

Iron is taken from the dust, and copper is similarly smelted from rock. Pure copper is rare in nature. Rather, it is found in ore and then separated, refined, and melted. Job is saying that practical human knowledge can reach far below the surface of the earth.

קֵץ שָׂם לַחֹשֶׁךְ וּלְכָל־תַּכְלִית הוּא חוֹקֵר אֶבֶן אֹפֶל וְצַלְמָוֶת

He, man, sets an end to darkness and investigates every end; man’s search for knowledge encompasses even the stone of thick darkness and the shadow of death, which lie deep in the ground. Some commentaries explain that the subject of the verse is God.

פָּרַץ נַחַל מֵעִם־גָּר הַנִּשְׁכָּחִים מִנִּי־רָגֶל דַּלּוּ מֵאֱנוֹשׁ נָעוּ

In order to expose hidden metals, he, man, drives, or digs, a shaft far away from inhabited areas, habitation which is forgotten by foot traffic, where no one else travels, places removed from humanity, abandoned by their former residents who have moved on.

אֶרֶץ מִמֶּנָּה יֵצֵא־לָחֶם וְתַחְתֶּיהָ נֶהְפַּךְ כְּמוֹ־אֵשׁ

There is the earth, from which bread emerges. What lies below it is concealed, but at times its bowels are overturned as if by fire, by an earthquake or a volcanic eruption.

מְקוֹם־סַפִּיר אֲבָנֶיהָ וְעַפְרֹת זָהָב לוֹ

At such times, it is discovered that its stones are a source of sapphires, and its dust has gold.

נָתִיב לֹא־יְדָעוֹ עָיִט וְלֹא שְׁזָפַתּוּ עֵין אַיָּה

This is a path that is so far-flung and hidden that it is even unknown by bird of prey, and the eye of the buzzard has not seen it, despite the fact that it is a bird which can see from great distances;

לֹא־הִדְרִיכוּהוּ בְנֵי־שָׁחַץ לֹא־עָדָה עָלָיו שָׁחַל

wild beasts have not trodden it, this path, and the lion did not find prey on it, or tear its prey there.

בַּחַלָּמִיש שָׁלַח יָדוֹ הָפַךְ מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ הָרִים

He, man, extends his hand to the flinty rock, or large boulder, and searches for metals and treasures of the ground; alternatively, the reference is to God, who undermines the supposedly unshakeable forces of nature; he overturns mountains from the root, from their foundations.

בַּצּוּרוֹת יְאֹרִים בִּקֵּעַ וְכָל־יְקָר רָאֲתָה עֵינוֹ

He breaks channels through the rocks, and his eye sees everything precious that is hidden there. Here too, while some commentaries understand that this verse refers to God, others explain that it refers to man.

מִבְּכִי נְהָרוֹת חִבֵּשׁ וְתַעֲלֻמָהּ יֹצִא אוֹר

He dams the depths of the rivers with all the secrets hidden in them, and thus brings hidden treasures swept away in the water to light by uncovering them.

והַחָכְמָה מֵאַיִן תִּמָּצֵא וְאֵי זֶה מְקוֹם בִּינָה

Natural treasures can be hidden deep inside the earth, far from civilization, or covered by water, and yet man can discover them following earthquakes or other dramatic events, as well as through his own searches. But in contrast, when it comes to wisdom, where will it be found? And where is the place of understanding?

לֹא־יָדַע אֱנוֹשׁ עֶרְכָּהּ וְלֹא תִמָּצֵא בְּאֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים

Man does not know its value, and it is not found in the land of the living.

תְּהוֹם אָמַר לֹא בִי־הִיא וְיָם אָמַר אֵין עִמָּדִי

The deep says: It is not located in me; and the sea says: It is not with me.

לֹא־יֻתַּן סְגוֹר תַּחְתֶּיהָ וְלֹא יִשָּׁקֵל כֶּסֶף מְחִירָהּ

One will not give gold in exchange for it. One cannot acquire wisdom by paying for it with gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.

לֹא־תְסֻלֶּה בְּכֶתֶם אוֹפִיר בְּשֹׁהַם יָקָר וְסַפִּיר

It cannot be assessed or praised by comparison, saying that it is like gold that comes from the land of Ofir, or like precious onyx or sapphire.

לֹא־יַעַרְכֶנָּה זָהָב וּזְכוּכִית וּתְמוּרָתָהּ כְּלִי־פָז

It cannot be valued like gold and glass [zekhukhit]; its worth cannot be gauged by a comparison to these substances, or its exchange be vessels of fine gold. Zekhukhit is perhaps a precious stone that is pure [zaka] or transparent; or possibly the zekhukhit of modern Hebrew, glass, which was highly valuable in those days.

רָאמוֹת וְגָבִישׁ לֹא יִזָּכֵר וּמֶשֶׁךְ חָכְמָה מפְּנִינִים

Coral and crystal, precious materials, will not be mentioned in relation to wisdom; the acquisition [meshekh] of wisdom is greater than pearls [peninim]. More effort is necessary to draw in [limshokh] and absorb wisdom than is used in acquiring pearls. Peninim might be a general term for round precious stones, or it might refer to pearls extracted from the shells of oysters. Pearls are peninim in modern Hebrew.

לֹא־'יַעַרְכֶנָּה פִּטְדַת־כּוּשׁ בְּכֶתֶם טָהוֹר לֹא תְסֻלֶּה

It cannot be valued like the peridot of Kush, a precious stone from Ethiopia; it cannot be assessed like pure gold.

והַחָכְמָה מֵאַיִן תָּבוֹא וְאֵי זֶה מְקוֹם בִּינָה

These wonderful natural treasures can be discovered through much toil and effort and then brought from distant lands. But wisdom, from where will it come, which as stated, is inestimably more valuable than such items? And where is the place of understanding?

וְנֶעֶלְמָה מֵעֵינֵי כָל־חָי ומֵעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם נִסְתָּרָה

It is vanished from the eyes of all living and hidden even from the birds of the heavens, who overlook everything from above as they fly over large tracts of territory.

אֲבַדּוֹן וָמָוֶת אָמְרוּ בְּאָזְנֵינוּ שָׁמַעְנוּ שִׁמְעָהּ

Destruction and death, which exist on the margins of reality, say: We have heard only a rumor with our ears, but it is not in our midst.

אֱלֹהִים הֵבִין דַּרְכָּהּ וְהוּא יָדַע אֶת־מְקוֹמָהּ

God alone understands its, wisdom’s, way, and only He knows its place.

כִּי־הוּא לִקְצוֹת־הָאָרֶץ יַבִּיט תַּחַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמַיִם יִרְאֶה

For He gazes to the ends of the earth, and that which is beneath all the heavens He sees; nothing is hidden from His gaze.

לַעֲשׂוֹת לָרוּחַ מִשְׁקָל וּמַיִם תִּכֵּן בְּמִדָּה

He uses wisdom to set the calibration of the wind, as He measures the appropriate speed and strength of the wind in every place, and to allocate water by measure,

בַּעֲשֹׂתוֹ לַמָּטָר חֹק ודֶרֶךְ לַחֲזִיז קֹלוֹת

in setting an allotment, an arrangement and plan, for the rain, and in making a way for lightning and thunder.

אָז רָאָהּ וַיְסַפְּרָהּ הֱכִינָהּ וְגַם־חֲקָרָהּ

Then He, who knows all these matters, saw and quantified it, wisdom; He was exacting in its size and details, or: He formulated it in a book of instructions, prepared it, and also investigated it.

וַיֹּאמֶר ' לָאָדָם הֵן יִרְאַת אֲדֹנָי הִיא חָכְמָה וְסוּר מֵרָע בִּינָה

He, God, said to man: Indeed, wisdom is with Me, and you cannot know it all, and behold, for your purposes, the fear of the Lord, it is wisdom, and turning away, refraining from evil, is understanding for you.