Job 28:1-11

1“Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where they refine gold.

2Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted from the stone ore.

3Man puts an end to darkness [by bringing in a light], And to the farthest bounds he searches out The rock buried in gloom and deep shadow.

4He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live, [In places] forgotten by the [human] foot; They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.

5[As for] the earth, out of it comes food, But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire.

6Its stones are the bed of sapphires; It holds dust of gold.

7The path [deep within] no bird of prey knows, And the falcon’s eye has not caught sight of it.

8The proud beasts [and their young] have not walked on it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

9Man puts his hand on [and tears apart] the flinty rock; He overturns the mountains at the base [looking for treasure].

10He cuts out channels and passages among the rocks; And his eye sees every precious thing.

11Man dams up the streams from flowing [so that they do not trickle into the mine], And what is hidden he brings out to the light.