God Alone Has Wisdom

20 “But wisdom – where does it come from?

Where is the place of understanding?

21 For it has been hidden

from the eyes of every living creature,

and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.

22 Destruction and Death say,

‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’

23 God understands the way to it,

and he alone knows its place.

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth

and observes everything under the heavens.

25 When he made the force of the wind

and measured the waters with a gauge.

26 When he imposed a limit for the rain,

and a path for the thunderstorm,

27 then he looked at wisdom and assessed its value;

he established it and examined it closely.

28 And he said to mankind,

‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”

29 Then Job continued his speech:

2 “O that I could be as I was

in the months now gone,

in the days when God watched over me,

3 when he caused his lamp

to shine upon my head,

and by his light

I walked through darkness;

4 just as I was in my most productive time,

when God’s intimate friendship was experienced in my tent,

5 when the Almighty was still with me

and my children were around me;

6 when my steps were bathed with butter

and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil!

7 When I went out to the city gate

and secured my seat in the public square,

8 the young men would see me and step aside,

and the old men would get up and remain standing;

9 the chief men refrained from talking

and covered their mouths with their hands;

10 the voices of the nobles fell silent,

and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.