Job 28 - Easy To Read Version

¹ “There are mines where people get silver\par and places where people\par melt gold to make it pure.\par

² Men dig iron from the ground.\par Copper is melted from the rocks.\par

³ Workers carry lights into the caves.\par They search deep into the caves.\par They look for rocks in the deep darkness.\par

⁴ Workers dig deep into the ground,\par following the veins of ore.\par They go deep down into the ground\par far away from where people live,\par down where no person has been before.\par They hang \{from ropes far below ground\},\par far away from other men.\par

⁵ Food grows on the ground above.\par But underground, \{it is different\}—\par as if everything were melted by fire.\par

⁶ Underground there are sapphires {\cf2\super [51]} \par and grains of pure gold.\par

⁷ Wild birds know nothing about\par the paths under the ground.\par No falcon {\cf2\super [52]} has ever seen those dark paths.\par

⁸ Wild animals haven’t walked those paths.\par Lions haven’t traveled that way.\par

⁹ Workers dig the hardest rocks.\par Those workers dig away at the mountains\par and make them bare.\par

¹⁰ Workers cut tunnels through the rocks.\par They see all the rock’s treasures.\par

¹¹ The workers make dams to stop the water.\par They bring hidden things out into the light.\par

¹² “But where can a person find wisdom?\par Where can we go to find understanding?\par

¹³ We don’t know how valuable wisdom is.\par People on earth \{can’t dig in the ground\}\par and find wisdom.\par

¹⁴ The deep ocean says,\par ‘Wisdom is not here with me.’\par The sea says,\par ‘Wisdom is not here with me.’\par

¹⁵ You can’t buy wisdom\par with even the purest gold.\par There isn’t enough silver in the world\par to buy wisdom.\par

¹⁶ You can’t buy wisdom with\par gold from Ophir or precious onyx {\cf2\super [53]} \par or sapphires. {\cf2\super [54]} \par

¹⁷ Wisdom is worth more\par than gold or crystal.\par Expensive jewels set in gold\par can’t buy wisdom.\par

¹⁸ Wisdom is worth more\par than coral {\cf2\super [55]} and jasper. {\cf2\super [56]} \par Wisdom is more precious than rubies.\par

¹⁹ The topaz {\cf2\super [57]} from the country of Ethiopia\par is not as precious as wisdom.\par You can’t buy wisdom with pure gold.\par

²⁰ “So, where does wisdom come from?\par Where can we find understanding?\par

²¹ Wisdom is hidden from every living thing on earth.\par Even birds in the sky can’t see wisdom.\par

²² Death and destruction {\cf2\super [58]} say,\par ‘We haven’t found wisdom\par We have only heard rumors about it.’\par

²³ “Only God knows the way to wisdom.\par Only God knows where wisdom is.\par

²⁴ God can see to the very ends of the earth.\par God sees everything under the sky.\par

²⁵ God gave the wind its power.\par God decided how big to make the oceans.\par

²⁶ God decided where to send the rain,\par and where the thunderstorms should go.\par

²⁷ At that time God saw wisdom\par and thought about it.\par God saw how much wisdom was worth.\par And God approved of wisdom.\par

²⁸ And God said to people,\par “Fear and respect the Lord—\par that is wisdom.\par Don’t do evil things—\par that is understanding.”\par