28:1Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;

28:2Iron from the dust is taken, And from the firm stone brass.

28:3An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.

28:4A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.

28:5The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.

28:6A place of the sapphire are its stones, And it hath dust of gold.

28:7A path -- not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,

28:8Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.

28:9Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.

28:10Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.

28:11From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out to light.

28:12And the wisdom -- whence is it found? And where is this, the place of understanding?

28:13Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

28:14The deep hath said, `It is not in me,' And the sea hath said, `It is not with me.'

28:15Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed -- its price.

28:16It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,

28:17Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor is its exchange a vessel of fine gold.

28:18Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom is above rubies.

28:19Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.

28:20And the wisdom -- whence doth it come? And where is this, the place of understanding?

28:21It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.

28:22Destruction and death have said: `With our ears we have heard its fame.'

28:23God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.

28:24For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,

28:25To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.

28:26In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,

28:27Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,

28:28And He saith to man: -- `Lo, fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to turn from evil is understanding.'

29:1And Job addeth to lift up his simile, and saith: --

29:2Who doth make me as in months past, As in the days of God's preserving me?

29:3In His causing His lamp to shine on my head, By His light I walk through darkness.

29:4As I have been in days of my maturity, And the counsel of God upon my tent.

29:5When yet the Mighty One is with me. Round about me -- my young ones,

29:6When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock is with me rivulets of oil.

29:7When I go out to the gate by the city, In a broad place I prepare my seat.

29:8Seen me have youths, and they, been hidden, And the aged have risen -- they stood up.

29:9Princes have kept in words, And a hand they place on their mouth.

29:10The voice of leaders hath been hidden, And their tongue to the palate hath cleaved.

29:11For the ear heard, and declareth me happy, And the eye hath seen, and testifieth to me.

29:12For I deliver the afflicted who is crying, And the fatherless who hath no helper.

29:13The blessing of the perishing cometh on me, And the heart of the widow I cause to sing.

29:14Righteousness I have put on, and it clotheth me, As a robe and a diadem my justice.

29:15Eyes I have been to the blind, And feet to the lame am I.

29:16A father I am to the needy, And the cause I have not known I search out.

29:17And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.

29:18And I say, `With my nest I expire, And as the sand I multiply days.'

29:19My root is open unto the waters, And dew doth lodge on my branch.

29:20My honour is fresh with me, And my bow in my hand is renewed.

29:21To me they have hearkened, Yea, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.

29:22After my word they change not, And on them doth my speech drop,

29:23And they wait as for rain for me, And their mouth they have opened wide As for the latter rain.

29:24I laugh unto them -- they give no credence, And the light of my face cause not to fall.

29:25I choose their way, and sit head, And I dwell as a king in a troop, When mourners he doth comfort.

30:1And now, laughed at me, Have the younger in days than I, Whose fathers I have loathed to set With the dogs of my flock.

30:2Also -- the power of their hands, why is it to me? On them hath old age perished.

30:3With want and with famine gloomy, Those fleeing to a dry place, Formerly a desolation and waste,

30:4Those cropping mallows near a shrub, And broom-roots is their food.

30:5From the midst they are cast out, (They shout against them as a thief),

30:6In a frightful place of valleys to dwell, Holes of earth and clefts.

30:7Among shrubs they do groan, Under nettles they are gathered together.

30:8Sons of folly -- even sons without name, They have been smitten from the land.

30:9And now, their song I have been, And I am to them for a byword.

30:10They have abominated me, They have kept far from me, And from before me have not spared to spit.

30:11Because His cord He loosed and afflicteth me, And the bridle from before me, They have cast away.

30:12On the right hand doth a brood arise, My feet they have cast away, And they raise up against me, Their paths of calamity.

30:13They have broken down my path, By my calamity they profit, `He hath no helper.'

30:14As a wide breach they come, Under the desolation have rolled themselves.

30:15He hath turned against me terrors, It pursueth as the wind mine abundance, And as a thick cloud, Hath my safety passed away.

30:16And now, in me my soul poureth itself out, Seize me do days of affliction.

30:17At night my bone hath been pierced in me, And mine eyelids do not lie down.

30:18By the abundance of power, Is my clothing changed, As the mouth of my coat it doth gird me.

30:19Casting me into mire, And I am become like dust and ashes.

30:20I cry unto Thee, And Thou dost not answer me, I have stood, and Thou dost consider me.

30:21Thou art turned to be fierce to me, With the strength of Thy hand, Thou oppresest me.

30:22Thou dost lift me up, On the wind Thou dost cause me to ride, And Thou meltest -- Thou levellest me.

30:23For I have known To death Thou dost bring me back, And to the house appointed for all living.

30:24Surely not against the heap Doth He send forth the hand, Though in its ruin they have safety.

30:25Did not I weep for him whose day is hard? Grieved hath my soul for the needy.

30:26When good I expected, then cometh evil, And I wait for light, and darkness cometh.

30:27My bowels have boiled, and have not ceased, Gone before me have days of affliction.

30:28Mourning I have gone without the sun, I have risen, in an assembly I cry.

30:29A brother I have been to dragons, And a companion to daughters of the ostrich.

30:30My skin hath been black upon me, And my bone hath burned from heat,

30:31And my harp doth become mourning, And my organ the sound of weeping.

31:1A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what -- do I attend to a virgin?

31:2And what is the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?

31:3Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?

31:4Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?

31:5If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,

31:6He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.

31:7If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,

31:8Let me sow -- and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.

31:9If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,

31:10Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.

31:11For it is a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;

31:12For a fire it is, to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,

31:13If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,

31:14Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?

31:15Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.

31:16If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,

31:17And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,

31:18(But from my youth He grew up with me as with a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.)

31:19If I see any perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,

31:20If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,

31:21If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in him the gate of my court,

31:22My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.

31:23For a dread unto me is calamity from God, And because of His excellency I am not able.

31:24If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, `My trust,'

31:25If I rejoice because great is my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,

31:26If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,

31:27And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,

31:28It also is a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.

31:29If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,

31:30Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.

31:31If not -- say ye, O men of my tent, `O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'

31:32In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.

31:33If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,

31:34Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.

31:35Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.

31:36If not -- on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.

31:37The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.

31:38If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,

31:39If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,

31:40Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.