Job 28:12-22 - Wisdom Is Inaccessible To Decay And Death

¹² But where can wisdom be found,
and where is understanding located?
¹³ No man can know its value,
since it cannot be found in the land of the living.
¹⁴ The ocean depths say, “It’s not in me,”
while the sea declares, “I don’t have it.”
¹⁵ Gold cannot be exchanged for it,
and silver cannot be weighed out for its price.
¹⁶ Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
¹⁷ Gold and glass do not compare with it,
and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.
¹⁸ Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning.
The price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
¹⁹ Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it,
and it cannot be valued in pure gold.

²⁰ Where then does wisdom come from,
and where is understanding located?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
and concealed from the birds of the sky.
²² Abaddon and Death say,
“We have heard news of it with our ears.”