Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
He sets an end to darkness, and searches out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
The flood breaks out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it has dust of gold.
There is a path which no fowl knows, and which the vulture's eye has not seen:
The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
He puts forth his hand on the rock; he overturns the mountains by the roots.
He cuts out rivers among the rocks; and his eye sees every precious thing.
He binds the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid brings he forth to light.
But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
Man knows not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
The depth said, It is not in me: and the sea said, It is not with me.
It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
From where then comes wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
God understands the way thereof, and he knows the place thereof.
For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven;
To make the weight for the winds; and he weighs the waters by measure.
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yes, and searched it out.
And to man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Canonical academic citations for Job 28 (AKJV) — copy in your preferred format.
Job 28 (AKJV). Prime Bible, accessed July 21, 2026. https://primebible.com/akjv/job/28.
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Wisdom poem describing how humans mine precious metals from earth's depths. Wisdom cannot be found or purchased with gold—it's hidden from all living. Only God knows wisdom's place; He declares: "Fear of the Lord is wisdom."
Extended poetic disputation on righteousness and suffering.
Job 28 is presented with the full Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and verse-by-verse cross-references on Prime Bible — a free, nonprofit Bible study platform.